CAROLINE  WORMELEY  LATIMER ,  M.D. 


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3    FMITH 

OOKS 

•one  E«eh  Bhrf. 
2,  C«/rf. 


GIRL  AND  WOMAN 


LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 

PRESENTED  BY 
CARROLL  PURSELL 


GIRL    AND    WOMAN 

A     BOOK     FOR     MOTHERS 
AND     DAUGHTERS 


BY 


CAROLINE  WORMELEY  LATIMER,  M.D.,  M.A. 

FORMERLY   INSTRUCTOR   IN   BIOLOGY 
WOMAN'S  COLLEGE  OF  BALTIMORE 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

HOWARD   A.    KELLY,    M.D. 

PROFESSOR  OF  GYNECOLOGICAL  SURGERY 
JOHNS  HOPKINS  UNIVERSITY 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

D.    APPLETON    AND    COMPANY 

1915 


COPYRIGHT,  1909,  BY 
D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 
I.    E.    A. 

THE   FRIEND  WHOSE    SYMPATHY,   COUNSEL, 

AND   ENCOURAGEMENT 

HAVE   BEEN    MY   LIFE'S   BEST   INFLUENCE, 

WHILE   HIS  BELIFK   IN  THE   POSSIBILITIES  WITHIN   MY   REACH 

REMAINS  MY  STRONGEST  STIMULUS 

TO   EXERTION. 


PREFACE 

WE  have  recently  awakened  to  the  fact  that  the 
most  important  period  in  life  as  regards  the  forma- 
tion of  character,  instead  of  being  the  first  decade 
as  always  supposed,  is  really  the  years  between  child- 
hood and  maturity.  But  although  the  attention  of 
parents  and  guardians  is  now  focussed  upon  this  sea- 
son as  one  of  supreme  importance,  especially  as  re- 
gards girls,  the  sources  of  information  concerning 
it  are  few  and  far  between.  Aside  from  Dr.  Stan- 
ley Hall's  monumental  work,  the  size  and  extent  of 
which  somewhat  restrict  its  field  of  usefulness,  all 
information  upon  the  subject  of  girlhood  is  sparsely 
scattered  over  a  wide  territory  of  periodical  litera- 
ture, much  of  it  being  contained  in  psychological  and 
pedagogical  journals  or  similar  places  remote  from 
the  main-traveled  road  familiar  to  the  general  reader. 
Moreover,  these  articles  are  commonly  written  by 
specialists  in  language  which  requires  some  interpre- 
tation. 

To  make  this  mass  of  scattered  and  semi-technical 
information  available  to  the  public  at  large,  it  re- 
quired to  be  reviewed  and  sifted,  in  order  that  the  main 
facts,  as  well  as  the  more  important  of  the  views 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

and  ideas  suggested  by  them,  could  be  presented  in  a 
simple  and  compact  form,  easy  of  assimilation  by 
those  most  nearly  concerned.  The  preception  of  this 
want  has  led  to  the  preparation  of  this  little  volume, 
which,  it  is  hoped,  may  place  the  valuable  results  ob- 
tained through  the  labors  of  thoughtful  minds  at 
the  service  of  many  who  lack  time  or  opportunity 
to  seek  them  along  the  bye-paths  of  specialized  lit- 
erature. No  pains  have  been  spared  to  make  the 
investigation  complete  and  to  seek  authority  at  the 
fountain  head. 

It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  avail  myself  of 
this  opportunity  to  acknowledge  the  kindness  shown 
me  by  friends  in  the  course  of  my  work.  To  Pro- 
fessor W.  H.  Howell  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  Medical 
School  I  am  indebted  for  council  and  suggestion  con- 
cerning the  first  four  chapters  and  to  Dr.  Elizabeth 
Hurdon,  Assistant  in  Gynecology  in  the  same  Uni- 
versity for  criticism  of  the  fifth  chapter. 

But  most  especially  my  thanks  are  due  to  Dr. 
Howard  A.  Kelly  for  the  interest  he  has  taken  in  my 
work  and  for  his  kindness  in  allowing  my  little  book 
to  enter  the  world  under  his  protection.  The  service 
he  has  rendered  me  in  this  instance  is  but  one  of  many 
helpful  actions,  each  of  which  forms  a  rivet  in  a 
friendship  which  is  one  of  my  most  valued  posses- 
sions. 

CAROLINE  WORMELEY  LATIMER,  M.D. 

BALTIMORE,  June  22,  1909. 


INTRODUCTION 

I  AM  glad  that  Dr.  Latimer  has  undertaken  to 
write  this  much  needed  work  addressed  to  women  at 
large,  and  conveying  a  mass  of  useful  information  in 
language  free  from  technicalities.  I  am  of  opinion 
that  such  instruction  as  is  here  given,  with  proper 
reserve  as  to  special  functions,  is  wiser  than  that 
conveyed  in  many  of  the  popular  cheap  books  touch- 
ing upon  these  hitherto  forbidden  subjects. 

A  few  centuries  have  wrought  great  changes  in 
our  views  upon  the  training  of  women.  But  three 
hundred  years  ago  the  ordering  of  a  girl's  life  was 
a  matter  of  interest  to  nobody  and  the  world  at  large 
agreed  with  Thomas  Fuller  of  that  time  that  "  Daugh- 
ters are  silent  strings  sending  no  sound  to  posterity 
and  losing  their  identity  in  their  husbands."  But 
this  view-point  is  altogether  changed,  and  the  thought- 
ful, conscientious  parent  to-day  holds  a  daughter's 
education,  in  the  widest  sense,  as  no  less  important 
than  a  son's.  It  is  only  of  recent  years,  however,  that 
we  have  begun  to  recognize  in  girlhood  a  distinct 
period  in  life  with  characteristic  demands  and  neces- 
sities. How  much  we  have  neglected  this  critical  age 
may  be  gathered  from  a  glance  over  Poole's  Index 

ix 


x  INTRODUCTION 

of  Periodical  Literature  for  the  last  ten  years,  where 
the  titles  of  papers  dealing  with  either  childhood  or 
womanhood  fill  several  pages,  while  those  devoted  to 
girlhood  as  a  separate  and  distinct  stage  in  life  occupy 
only  a  few  lines.  During  the  last  year  or  two  of  the 
decade,  however,  the  articles  on  girlhood  steadily 
increase  in  number,  a  significant  change,  which  is 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  psychologists  have  recently 
devoted  much  attention  to  adolescence,  and  the  in- 
terest thus  aroused  has  extended  to  the  public. 

Psychological  research  has  made  it  plain  that  no 
period  in  a  woman's  life  is  so  important  to  herself  or 
so  full  of  interest  to  her  natural  guardians  as  the 
transition  years  of  development  from  childhood  to 
womanhood,  and  it  has  also  shown  that  her  evolu- 
tion, instead  of  being  extremely  brief,  as  was  sup- 
posed, is  really  a  process  of  slow  and  gradual  unfold- 
ing of  both  body  and  mind,  occupying  all  the  years 
between  twelve  and  twenty-one.  Another  fact  lately 
made  evident  is  that  the  impressibility  of  this  period 
of  life  is  greater  than  any  other,  for  the  mind  is  more 
susceptible  to  influence,  and  the  moral  nature  more 
plastic  than  at  any  subsequent  time,  while  the  indi- 
vidual sense  of  right  and  wrong  becomes  clearer  than 
at  an  earlier  age.  For  these  reasons  the  principles  in- 
stilled into  a  girl's  mind  at  this  critical  stage  of  her 
life's  journey  are  of  paramount  importance.  There 
are  two  supreme  objects  to  be  kept  in  view  at  this 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

period:  first,  that  she  shall  pass  through  its  changes 
in  a  natural,  happy,  and  healthful  manner;  and  sec- 
ond, that  her  training  shall  be  such  as  to  fit  her  for 
the  serious  burdens  of  the  years  that  are  to  follow 
when  she  must  shoulder  the  cares  and  responsibilities 
of  life.  The  burning  question  with  those  interested 
in  securing  her  health  and  happiness  is  the  best  means 
of  arriving  at  the  desired  end,  and  here  there  are 
still  some  differences  of  opinion. 

In  the  days  of  our  grandmothers  custom  decreed 
the  formal  separation  of  the  sexes  almost  from  baby- 
hood, and  all  pursuits,  work,  and  pleasures  advanced 
along  different  lines,  planned  to  fit  the  boy  to  cope 
with  the  world  and  fight  his  own  battles,  while  the 
girl,  who  was  no  warrior,  received  no  definite  train- 
ing and  lived  restrained  within  the  narrow  limits  of 
her  natural  physical  activities.  A  generation  ago  we 
awakened  to  the  discovery  that  physical  freedom  and 
activity  are  as  good  and  as  necessary  for  a  little 
girl  as  for  a  little  boy,  and  that  the  principles  of 
elementary  education  which  produced  the  best  results 
with  boys  succeeded  equally  well  with  girls.  This  il- 
luminating idea  at  once  deferred  the  separation  of  the 
sexes  until  adolescence,  but  as  it  was  then  still  enforced 
bodily  freedom  for  a  girl  ended  in  most  cases 
with  childhood,  while  her  mental  training  was  much 
less  thorough  than  that  of  her  brother. 

To-day  we   hold   that   a   system   which   condemns 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

outdoor  life  and  activities  as  unwomanly,  and  sac- 
rifices sound  learning  for  mere  drawing-room  ac- 
complishments is  fundamentally  wrong.  We  have, 
therefore,  changed  our  tactics  and  proceeded  to  give 
girls  the  same  advantages  as  boys,  both  physically  and 
mentally.  The  one  point  now  at  issue  is  this:  Is  a 
girl  best  fitted  for  life  by  precisely  the  same  training 
as  a  boy,  or  is  some  modification  desirable  in  con- 
formity with  the  elementary  difference  of  sex? 

I  think  that  those  who  say :  "  Let  there  be  no 
difference  whatever,"  fail  to  give  sufficient  weight 
to  the  issues  involved  and  overlook  the  fact  that  when 
boys  and  girls  reach  puberty  the  fundamental  dif- 
ference between  them,  hitherto  latent,  asserts  itself 
openly  and  emphatically  and  cannot  henceforth  be 
ignored  without  serious  consequences  to  the  proper 
development  and  sound  health  of  both  body  and  mind 
in  the  girl.  The  establishment  of  puberty  in  itself  is 
always  a  strain  upon  the  physical  and  mental  forces, 
often  severe  enough  to  affect  the  general  health  or 
the  central  nervous  system.  For  both  sexes  puberty 
is  a  period  requiring  especial  care  and  watchfulness 
and  when  it  is  over,  and  the  fundamental  differences 
between  the  sexes  are  fully  established,  the  function 
of  menstruation  with  its  cyclical  changes  and  their  de- 
mands upon  the  nervous  system  continues  to  call  for 
consideration  in  young  women.  Few  girls  or  women 
can  treat  this  function  with  entire  disregard,  except  at 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

their  peril.  I  do  not  say  that  the  menstrual  periods 
ought  seriously  to  interrupt  the  routine  of  daily  life 
in  a  healthy  girl,  and  any  manifest  invalidism  may 
be  accepted  as  evidence  of  depressed  health.  But  un- 
due exertion,  prolonged  and  repeated,  at  such  times 
almost  inevitably  results  in  an  exhaustion  of  the  nerv- 
ous system,  manifested,  sooner  or  later,  by  excessive 
periodical  suffering  or  by  some  more  general  dis- 
turbance. 

To  illustrate  this  fact  take  the  athletic  sports  now 
so  general  for  girls.  A  boy  who  plays  on  his  team 
at  school  or  college  is  under  no  necessity  for  heeding 
the  times  and  seasons  of  his  games,  being  as  fit  to  play 
one  day  as  another,  but  almost  every  girl,  under  like 
conditions,  must  consider  a  regularly  recurring  inter- 
val when  her  nervous  force  is  so  taxed  by  the  demands 
of  her  economy  that  the  excessive  effort  demanded  by 
the  game  places  her  at  a  disadvantage  for  the  moment, 
beside  exposing  her  to  the  risk  of  lasting  ill  effects, 
even  so  great  as  life-long  invalidism.  Some  strong 
vigorous  girls  do  sometimes  play  tennis,  basket-ball, 
and  hockey  at  such  times  with  impunity,  but  no  girl 
can  risk  the  strain  of  a  match  game  without  danger  of 
suffering  from  it  sooner  or  later,  not  only  because  of 
the  extreme  bodily  effort,  but  because  of  the  nervous 
tension  arising  from  the  excitement  of  competition 
together  with  the  emotional  disturbance  inevitably  at- 
tending success  or  defeat. 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

Excessive  nervous  strain  is,  in  fact,  the  key  to  the 
whole  situation  and  we  find  that  the  sex  limit  im- 
posed by  means  of  it  is  as  definite  on  the  intellectual 
side  of  life  as  it  is  in  the  sphere  of  the  body.  The 
present  system  of  education  for  women,  with  all  its 
improvements,  has  the  defects  of  its  qualities  in  its 
ever  insistent  emulation  and  competition  with  their 
resultant  tension  and  excitement.  An  ambitious  girl 
with  examinations  awaiting  her  during  the  menstrual 
period  is  exposed  to  risks  similar  to  those  of  the  ath- 
letic field  and  is  under  the  same  disadvantages  as  com- 
pared with  her  brother.  But  while  there  are  many 
who  realize  the  dangers  of  physical  over-exertion  dur- 
ing menstruation,  few  seem  alive  to  the,  perhaps, 
greater  risks  of  mental  high  pressure  at  such  times 
and  at  an  age  when  the  emotional  nature  is  most  ex- 
citable. 

To  my  mind  these  observations  teach  us  that  a 
woman's  physical  well-being,  under  existing  social 
conditions,  depends  largely  upon  her  willingness  to  ac- 
quiesce in  those  moderate  and  proper  restrictions  im- 
posed by  nature  upon  her  sex.  I  have  used  examina- 
tions and  athletic  sports  simply  as  a  means  to  illus- 
trate my  position,  which  is :  first,  that  a  woman  must 
avoid  excessive  effort  of  body  or  mind  during  the 
menstrual  periods  and  that  if  she  neglects  this  salutary, 
precaution  her  health  will  suffer  in  the  long  run; 
second,  that  this  fact,  of  necessity,  prevents  her  from 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

standing  on  a  perfect  equality  with  a  man  engaged  in 
the  same  occupations.  Just  what  precautions  are 
called  for  must  be  determined  according  to  the  con- 
ditions in  each  individual  case;  this  question  is  fully 
discussed  in  one  of  Dr.  Latimer's  chapters.  We  may 
draw  one  general  conclusion,  however,  which  is  that 
while  experience  has  shown  that  girls  are  in  every 
way  better  for  the  removal  of  artificial  restrictions 
upon  their  activities,  it  is  also  plain  that  any  attempt 
to  treat  the  restrictions  imposed  by  Nature  as  though 
they  did  not  exist,  results,  as  a  rule,  in  harm  to  body 
and  mind. 

Some  of  the  partisans  of  exact  uniformity  in  the 
training  of  the  sexes  who  are  unwilling  to  admit  any 
necessity  for  caution  whatever,  point  with  conviction 
to  a  certain  proportion  of  women  who  are  able  to 
disregard  the  menstrual  function  without  suffering 
for  doing  so.  But  this  argument  overlooks  the  chief 
difficulty,  which  is  that  the  mischief  done  by  the 
neglect  of  a  periodical  conservation  of  the  forces  does 
not  usually  show  itself  immediately  and  may  take  the 
form  of  some  disturbance  of  a  general  character.  In- 
discreet and  prolonged  exertion  during  the  periods, 
during  a  series  of  years,  may  be  a  factor  of  im- 
portance in  the  production  of  nervous  prostration, 
though  the  causal  link  in  the  chain  may  have  long 
since  disappeared. 

But,  in  my  opinion,  the  greatest  harm  done  by  an 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

education  which  teaches  a  girl  to  regard  her  sphere  in 
life  as  identical  with  that  of  a  boy  is  that  by  sugges- 
tion or  implication  it  encourages  her  to  despise  the 
duties  belonging  to  her  sex  by  right  of  Nature,  there- 
by striking  at  the  roots  of  her  real  happiness.  It  is 
not  that  a  woman  is  in  any  sense  whatever  inferior 
to  a  man,  but  that  her  sphere  is  a  different  and  a  com- 
plementary one.  A  man  and  a  woman  each  does 
many  things  that  the  other  cannot  do,  but  in  their  re- 
spective spheres  how  distinct,  how  different  they  are! 
The  very  best  our  civilization  has  yet  offered  has  been 
the  higher  education  of  our  daughters.  But  the  the- 
ory that  public  offices  and  public  works  are  as  much 
the  business  of  a  woman  as  of  a  man,  holding  pub- 
lic claims  as  more  honorable  and  more  worthy  of  at- 
tention than  those  of  the  home,  is  injurious  alike  to 
women  and  to  the  public  they  desire  to  serve. 
Philanthropic  occupations  are  of  paramount  im- 
portance under  certain  conditions,  and  the  woman 
who  does  not  marry  often  finds  in  them  her  vocation 
and  her  salvation  from  the  narrow,  gossiping  ex- 
istence once  the  lot  of  the  old  maid.  These  activities, 
however,  must  ever  be  of  secondary  importance  to  the 
married  woman.  The  woman  who  devotes  herself 
exclusively  to  outside  interests,  I  believe,  contributes 
less  to  life  and  gets  less  from  it  than  she  whose  ac- 
tivities lie  mainly  or  wholly  in  the  sphere  of  the  home. 
There  exist  certain  conservatives  who,  while  they 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

fully  appreciate  the  limitations  imposed  by  the  differ- 
ence of  sex  and  the  importance  of  the  claims  upon 
women  in  her  own  peculiar  sphere,  are  sometimes  apt 
to  do  our  girls  an  injustice  from  an  entirely  op- 
posite point  of  view.  These  people  incline  to  the 
notion  that  if  a  girl  marries  she  not  only  does  not 
need,  but  may  be  actually  hurt  by  more  than  an 
elementary  education;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  they 
admit  that,  should  she  remain  single,  it  is  well  that  her 
mind  should  be  cultivated  extensively  in  order  to  open 
up  numerous  avenues  of  interest  and  activity.  If 
this  idea  were  rational,  the  difficulties  consequent  upon 
it  would  be  serious  indeed,  since  girls  cannot  be  di- 
vided at  birth  into  queens  and  workers  like  bee  larvae. 
Fortunately,  the  difficulty,  when  squarely  faced,  dis- 
appears. Data  thus  far  collected  touching  higher  ed- 
ucation for  women  show  that  learning  in  itself  does 
not  interfere,  but  rather  adds  to  a  girl's  usefulness 
as  a  wife  or  mother,  nor  does  college  wisdom,  as 
Matthew  Arnold  expressed  it,  "  affect  her  chances  " 
of  matrimony.  And  it  is  surely  but  a  shallow  con- 
ception of  the  marriage  state  which  holds  that  there 
is  no  room  in  it  for  knowledge  and  a  diversity  of  in- 
terests. A  healthier,  saner  view  is  that  which  holds 
that  whatever  develops  a  girl's  faculties  and  broadens 
her  outlook  upon  life  makes  her  better  fitted  for  her 
work  in  the  world,  whether  that  work  is  ultimately 
carried  on  in  the  single  or  the  married  state,  and  that 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

the  more  cultivation,  the  more  information,  the  wider 
the  interests  a  woman  brings  to  bear  upon  her  inter- 
course with  her  husband  and  her  children  the  more  en- 
nobling and  elevating  are  their  mutual  relationships. 
Finally,  I  desire  to  repeat,  that  the  sum  of  what  I 
have  been  saying  is  this:  In  their  practical,  daily, 
human  relations  the  sexes  are  never  precisely  alike 
except  during  the  earliest  years  of  childhood.  For 
the  first  ten  years  of  life  a  boy  and  a  girl  may  be 
looked  upon  and  treated  as  identical,  though  even 
then  the  foreshadowing  of  the  coming  changes  are  al- 
ways visible  to  keen  eyes.  But  with  the  approach  of 
puberty  the  fundamental  differences,  everywhere 
stamped  upon  the  sexes  in  nature,  become  sharply  de- 
fined and  the  breach  thus  made  widens  with  the  suc- 
ceeding years  until  maturity  finds  the  man  and  the 
woman  two  distinct  entities,  complementary  in  all 
their  future  relations.  It  is  the  office  of  the  wise 
physician,  as  well  as  of  the  philanthropist  and  of  the 
educator,  not  to  minimize  but  to  recognize  these  dif- 
ferences and  to  lead  young  women  wisely  into  the 
paths  designed  for  them.  The  book  before  us  is  a 
notable  effort  in  this  direction. 

HOWARD  A.  KELLY,  M.D. 
BALTIMORE,  June,  1909. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I. — PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  OF  GIRLHOOD     ....  i 

II. — MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  OF  GIRLHOOD       ....  24 

III. — MORAL  DISTURBANCES  OF  GIRLHOOD 55 

IV.— REPRODUCTION 77 

V. — MENSTRUATION 100 

VI. — SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE 138 

VII.— BODILY  FUNCTIONS — EXERCISE— SLEEP     .     ,     .     .  158 

VIII.— PERSONAL  HYGIENE 201 

IX. — DAILY  LIFE  DURING  SCHOOL  DAYS       .....  234 

X. — DAILY  LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL 263 

XI.— MINOR  AILMENTS 290 


GIRL  AND  WOMAN 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  OF  GIRLHOOD 

General  considerations  —  Changes  in  the  bones  and  mus- 
cles —  Curvature  of  the  spine  —  Changes  in  the  heart  and 
arteries  —  Blushing  —  Anemia  • —  Chlorosis  —  Changes  in 
the  lungs  and  thorax  —  Changes  in  the  skin  —  Eruptions 

—  Changes  in  Digestion  —  Appetite  —  Teeth  —  Changes  in 
the   organs   of  special   sense  —  Voice  —  Smell  —  Hearing 

—  Vision  —  Changes  in  the  nervous  system  —  Chorea  — 
Stammering  —  Sick    headache  —  Neurasthenia  —  Epilepsy 

—  Conclusion. 

THE  period  of  a  girl's  passage  from  childhood  to 
womanhood  is  characterized  by  changes  of  the  most 
radical  and  far-reaching  description.  Up  to  this  time 
her  development,  both  of  body  and  mind,  has  been 
steady  and  uniform,  following  definite  lines  and  not 
subject  to  sudden  checks  or  advances.  Now  she 
reaches  a  point  when  a  hitherto  dormant  force  awak- 
ens within  her,  in  response  to  which  she  enters  upon 
a  phase  of  what  has  been  called  tumultuous  gro^vth. 

The  impulse  to  activity,  now  making  itself  felt  for 


2  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

the  first  time,  proceeds  from  the  great  elemental  in- 
stinct, sex,  which  is  henceforward  to  be  one  of  the 
most  powerful  agencies  in  her  life.  The  central  fea- 
ture of  this  period  is,  therefore,  the  development  of 
the  reproductive  organs  and  of  the  functions  con- 
nected with  them,  but  associated  with  these  primary 
changes  are  secondary  ones,  both  mental  and  physical, 
which  extend  their  influence  in  all  directions.  Al- 
most every  organ  and  system  in  the  body  begins  to 
grow  with  startling  rapidity  though  at  different  rates 
of  speed,  so  that  relative  proportions  are  everywhere 
changed,  sometimes  permanently,  in  other  cases  for 
the  time  being.  The  mind,  and  even  more  the  emo- 
tions, show  evidence  of  change  to  a  marked  degree,  the 
character  develops,  the  moral  sense  begins  to  act  in- 
dependently, the  perceptions  become  more  acute,  the 
susceptibilities  more  active,  until  finally,  in  the  space 
of  a  few  brief  years,  the  child  has  disappeared  and  a 
woman,  in  whom,  perhaps,  not  a  trace  of  the  child 
remains,  occupies  her  place. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  this  period  of  life  is  one 
of  supreme  importance  in  a  woman's  life.  Not  only 
her  immediate  well-being  but  her  well-being  in  the 
future  depend  upon  the  manner  in  which  she  passes 
through  it.  The  phase  of  development  in  itself,  how- 
ever, is  perfectly  natural,  and  the  changes  incident  to 
it  are  only  such  as  lead  naturally  to  a  normal  woman- 
hood. 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  3 

Next  to  the  sexual  changes,  which  will  be  discussed 
elsewhere,  the  most  striking  feature  is  a  sudden  and 
rapid  increase  in  height  and  weight,  that  begins  about 
thirteen.  The  difference  in  height  taking  place  in  the 
course  of  a  few  months  may  be  so  great  as  to  make 
it  seems  as  if  we  had  to  do  with  a  different  girl;  a 
tremendous  interval  all  at  once  appears  between  her 
and  the  brothers  and  sisters  next  to  her  in  the  family, 
and  she  outgrows  her  wardrobe  so  fast  that  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  keep  her  in  clothes.  This  rapid  growth 
in  height  conies  to  an  end  (on  an  average)  about  fif- 
teen and  the  final  stature  is  then  nearly,  if  not  quite 
complete.  It  is  true  that  a  girl  may,  and  not  infre- 
quently does,  continue  to  grow  for  several  years 
longer,  but  the  process  is  comparatively  slow  and  the 
addition  to  her  height  inconsiderable. 

This  increase  in  height  is  accompanied  by  an  in- 
crease in  weight,  but  not  commonly  a  proportionate 
one,  the  advance  in  height  being  the  more  rapid  of 
the  two.  With  girls  this  disproportion  between 
height  and  weight  is  not  so  marked  as  with  boys,  be- 
cause in  a  girl,  the  development  of  the  figure  and  of 
the  hips,  with  all  the  attendant  curves,  does  a  great 
deal  to  conceal  the  apparent  loss  of  tissue.  There  is 
a  great  deal  of  difference,  however,  between  individual 
girls  in  this  respect,  some  of  them  showing  but  slight 
signs  of  womanly  development  until  the  period  of 
rapid  growth  is  over,  when  they  begin  to  fill  out  rap- 


4 

idly;  while  with  others,  the  womanly  changes  pro- 
ceed side  by  side  with  the  increase  in  stature. 

The  basis  for  all  this  rapid  growth  is  profound 
changes  in  the  bones  and  muscles.  The  rapidity  of 
these  changes,  as  we  have  just  said,  is  not  proportion- 
ate, and  the  disproportion  between  them  is  responsible 
for  much  of  the  awkwardness  and  clumsiness  of  move- 
ment so  characteristic  of  the  age.  When  the  long 
bones  grow  more  rapidly  than  the  muscles  attached 
to  them  we  have  the  familiar  "  growing  pains,"  while 
when  the  muscles  grow  faster  than  the  bones  there 
is  extreme  mobility  of  the  joints.  The  various  con- 
tortions of  the  limbs  and  of  the  fingers  and  toes, 
to  which  girls  of  thirteen  and  fourteen  are  so  much 
addicted,  are  possible  at  this  time  by  reason  of  this 
mobility,  which  disappears  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years.  The  power  of  muscular  co-ordination  also  de- 
velops greatly,  so  that  this  is  the  time  when  manual 
training  in  all  pursuits  or  trades  requiring  dexterity 
and  delicacy  of  touch  ought  to  begin.  If  it  is  not 
undertaken  until  later,  when  the  mobility  has  dimin- 
ished, the  same  degree  of  skill  can  never  be  attained, 
but  it  cannot  be  carried  very  far  earlier,  for  the  neces- 
sary power  of  co-ordination  between  brain  and  muscle 
is  not  yet  developed. 

A  danger  belonging  especially  to  this  period  of 
growth  is  curvature  of  the  spine.  All  the  bones  of 
the  body  are  first  formed  in  cartilage  and  gradually 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  5 

converted  into  true  bone  by  the  deposit  of  lime  salts, 
a  process  not  entirely  complete  before  the  twenty-fifth 
year.  While  the  bones  are  still  largely  cartilaginous, 
they  are  soft  enough  to  yield  easily  to  pressure,  a  fact 
which  is  made  use  of  by  certain  races  to  produce  dis- 
tortions which  they  consider  beautiful.  The  most  fa- 
miliar example  of  this  practice  is  the  foot-binding  of 
China,  and  another  is  the  distortion  of  the  shape  of 
the  head  admired  by  certain  of  the  North  American 
Indians,  who  produce  it- by  tying  bits  of  board  to  a 
young  child's  skull.  In  early  girlhood  the  spinal  col- 
umn is  still  not  fully  hardened,  and  is  therefore  easily 
affected  by  pressure.  When  the  period  of  rapid 
growth  begins,  the  increase  in  height  is  often  so  sud- 
den that  a  girl  finds  it  hard  to  hold  herself  erect  and 
is  apt  to  assume  slouching,  ungainly  positions,  all  the 
more  because  she  feels  herself  awkward  and  uncom- 
fortable. Any  attitude  which  throws  the  spinal  col» 
umn  out  of  its  normal  line,  such  as  standing  with  the 
weight  of  the  body  thrown  altogether  on  one  foot,  or 
keeping  one  leg  crossed  over  the  other  without  re- 
versing the  position,  is  likery  to  cause  a  curvature  of 
the  spine.  The  sitting  posture  is  apt  to  result  in  spi- 
nal curvature  when  the  head  rests  always  on  the  same 
hand  while  reading,  or  the  body  is  inclined  to  the 
right  side  while  writing,  both  of  which  attitudes  are 
constantly  assumed  by  school  girls.  Occupations  or 
trades  which  require  the  continual  use  of  the  right 


6  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

hand  and  arm,  such,  for  instance,  as  dressmaking, 
have  the  same  result,,  if  girls  begin  to  work  at  them 
while  still  quite  young.  Rightsided  lateral  curvature 
at  about  the  level  of  the  arm  is  the  result  of  this  par- 
ticular error  of  position.  It  is  the  most  common 
of  all  in  the  different  curvatures,  no  doubt  because 
there  are  so  many  occupations  which  oblige  the  in- 
cessant use  of  the  right  arm  and  hand;  but  there  are 
other  curvatures  associated  with  other  faulty  atti- 
tudes. The  best  preventive  of  this  state  of  things  is 
abundance  of  active  physical  exercise  in  the  open  air, 
as  well  as  the  daily  use  of  systematic  exercises,  either 
at  home  or  in  a  gymnasium.  If  a  curvature  has  al- 
ready begun,  a  great  deal  can  be  done  to  correct  it 
by  special  gymnastic  work  under  trained  supervision, 
without  resort  to  mechanical  appliances. 

Next  to  the  changes  in  bone  and  muscles  those  in 
the  heart  and  arteries  are  most  significant.  In  child- 
hood the  heart  is  relatively  small  and  the  arteries 
large,  but  at  maturity  this  state  of  things  has  been 
reversed,  the  difference  being  caused  by  increased 
growth  on  the  part  of  the  heart  in  the  years  between 
twelve  and  twenty-five.  Not  that  the  arteries  cease 
to  grow,  but  they  do  so  more  slowly  than  before, 
while  the  heart  grows  faster.  With  the  growth  of 
the  heart  it  acquires,  of  course,  additional  strength, 
and  as  the  arteries  are  but  little  larger,  the  pres- 
sure of  the  blood  within  them  is  increased;  this  in- 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  7 

creased  pressure  resulting  in  great  activity  of  both 
mind  and  body,  which  finds  physical  expression  in  a 
craving  for  movement  and  muscular  action  of  any 
kind,  which  it  is  cruelty  to  repress. 

The  whole  circulatory  system  is  in  a  state  of  great 
excitability  which  manifests  itself  in  many  different 
ways.  Coldness  of  the  hands  and  feet  from  feeble- 
ness of  the  circulation  in  the  extremities,  is  quite  fre- 
quent and  occasionally,  though  more  rarely,  there  are 
sudden  flushes  or  chills  over  the  whole  body.  An- 
other disturbance  of  the  circulation  especially  frequent 
in  youth  because  of  the  peculiar  conditions  of  the 
period  is  blushing.  The  stimulus  in  the  act  of  blush- 
ing is,  of  course,  a  mental  one,  being  the  conscious- 
ness of  self  aroused  by  some  external  impression,  but 
the  impulse  thus  aroused,  transmitted  through  the 
nervous  system  to  the  superficial  blood  vessels,  re- 
sults in  a  rush  of  blood  to  the  face.  Exactly  why 
the  face  should  be  the  locality  affected  by  the  impulse 
has  not  been  satisfactorily  explained.  We  do  know, 
however,  that  blushing  is  not  necessarily  confined  to 
the  face  or  even  to  the  neck,  having  been  observed, 
in  certain  cases,  to  spread  over  the  whole  body. 
Youth,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  is  a  period  of  in- 
tense  self -consciousness,  and  this  fact,  together  with 
the  disturbed  condition  of  the  circulation  at  that  time 
of  life,  explains  why  blushing  is  so  much  more  com- 
mon at  that  time  than  later  in  life. 


8  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

It  sometimes  happens  that  the  changes  in  the  blood 
vessels  affect  the  veins  as  well  as  the  arteries,  and 
when  this  is  the  case  there  may  be  varicose  veins  of 
the  lower  extremities,  although  it  is  a  rare  occurrence. 
Bleeding  from  the  nose,  which  is  quite  common  in 
girlhood,  is  partly  due  to  the  disturbed  state  of  the  cir- 
culation and  partly  to  poverty  of  the  blood  itself. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  such  significant  changes 
in  the  heart  and  arteries  should  sometimes  be  ac- 
companied by  disturbance  of  the  heart's  action.  As 
a  matter  of  fact,  irregularity  and  palpitation,  with 
shortness  of  breath  and  a  feeble  or  intermittent  pulse, 
are  not  at  all  uncommon  in  young  girls.  Whenever 
these  symptoms  occur  a  doctor  ought  to  be  consulted 
and  his  advice  followed  implicitly.  In  the  large  ma- 
jority of  cases  there  is  no  disease  of  the  heart,  but 
only  a  physician  can  determine  whether  it  is  absent; 
moreover  a  girl  who  shows  such  symptoms  requires 
more  hours  of  rest  in  the  recumbent  position  than  she 
would  under  ordinary  conditions,  and  it  is  for  a  doc- 
tor to  decide  how  many  they  should  be,  and  also 
what  amount  of  physical  exercise  is  advisable,  too 
little  being  nearly  as  bad  as  too  much. 

Changes  in  the  composition  of  the  blood  itself  are 
not  uncommon  in  girlhood.  The  most  frequent  of 
these  is  anemia,  or  simple  poverty  of  the  blood, 
caused  by  deficiency  in  the  number  of  red  cells  of  the 
blood  or  in  their  capacity  to  nourish  the  tissues.  This 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  9 

condition  is  marked  by  pallor,  with  great  languor 
and  disinclination  to  exertion,  both  mental  and  phys- 
ical, quite  out  of  keeping  with  the  usual  activity  of 
the  age.  Whenever  a  girl  who  has  hitherto  been 
bright  and  active,  both  physically  and  mentally,  begins 
to  feel  her  school  work  too  much  for  her,  and  play 
such  an  effort  that  she  would  rather  sit  still  and  read 
she  is  probably  anemic,  especially  if  she  is  losing  color. 
But  anemia  is  sometimes  present  without  pallor. 
Headache  is  a  common  accompaniment  of  anemia  as 
well  as  a  tendency  to  hemorrhage,  shown  usually  in 
bleeding  from  the  nose.  Sometimes  the  blood  is  seen 
to  be  a  lighter  red  than  it  should  be.  Simple  anemia 
usually  yields  readily  to  treatment,  especially  iron  and 
cod-liver  oil.  Another  condition  associated  with 
changes  in  the  blood  and  belonging  almost  exclusively 
to  this  period  in  life,  is  chlorosis,  more  commonly 
known  as  green-sickness.  It  is  so  closely  connected, 
however,  with  irregularities  of  menstruation,  which 
are  one  of  its  chief  symptoms,  that  it  seems  better 
to  consider  it  with  that  subject. 

The  vital  capacity  of  the  lungs,  that  is  to  say,  their 
capacity  for  holding  air,  increases  very  much  in  early 
girlhood.  There  seems  to  be  some  difference  of  opin- 
ion as  to  the  exact  period  between  twelve  and  six- 
teen when  the  increase  is  most  decided,  but  all  ob- 
servers agree  that  it  is  greater  during  these  years 
than  at  any  other  period  of  life.  This  increase  in 


io  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

vital  capacity  is  accompanied,  as  we  should  naturally 
suppose,  by  an  increase  in  the  size  and  weight  of  the 
lungs,  and  as  the  heart  is  rapidly  becoming  larger,  it 
is  plain  the  circumference  of  the  chest  must  enlarge 
in  order  to  accommodate  the  growth  of  the  organs 
within  it.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  ribs  do  grow  rap- 
idly and  at  the  same  time  harden  rapidly  from  deposit 
of  lime  salts.  They  do  not  become  completely  ossi- 
fied, however,  before  twenty,  and  up  to  that  time 
their  shape  can  be  easily  modified  by  pressure,  es- 
pecially during  the  years  just  following  childhood, 
when  they  are  still  largely  cartilaginous.  This  fact 
has  a  most  important  bearing  upon  the  question  of 
girls'  clothing.  Any  considerable  constriction  around 
the  ribs  will  result  in  a  change  of  their  shape,  more 
or  less  marked  according  to  the  degree  of  pressure 
and  the  age  at  which  it  occurs.  It  also  interferes  with 
the  development  of  the  lungs  and  makes  them  more 
liable  to  tuberculosis.  Tight  lacing  at  this  period  is 
productive  of  much  more  harm  than  it  is  later,  for 
the  whole  shape  of  the  thorax  may  be  altered  by  it. 
There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  digestive  organs  un- 
dergo important  changes  during  girlhood,  but  the 
nature  of  these  changes  is  not  clearly  understood  and 
it  would  not  be  profitable  to  discuss  them  here.  In- 
digestion is  not  so  common  in  youth  as  it  is  in  later 
life,  and  when  it  does  occur  is  usually  of  temporary 
duration,  provoked  by  imprudence  of  diet.  But  this 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  II 

period  of  life  is  characterized  by  striking  peculiarities 
of  the  appetite,  which  in  youth  is  normally  a  hearty 
one  to  meet  the  demands  made  by  rapid  growth; 
sometimes,  especially  with  girls  who  live  in  cities,  it  is 
entirely  lost,  sometimes  it  is  capricious,  and  occasion- 
ally actually  perverted.  This  disturbance  of  appetite 
arises  probably  from  radical  changes  in  the  nutrition 
of  the  body  which  we  do  not  yet  understand.  Foods 
formerly  disliked  now  become  attractive,  and  on  the 
other  hand,  those  hitherto  preferred  are  now  distaste- 
ful. A  craving  for  sweets  is  quite  common,  and  still 
more  one  for  acids;  indeed  the  latter  taste  is  almost 
always  present  at  some  period  of  girlhood.  These 
cravings  are  the  expression  of  some  need  associated 
with  new  processes  of  growth  and  necessities  of  nutri- 
tion. One  fancy  in  particular,  which  is  not  by  any 
means  uncommon,  we  know  can  be  explained  by  the 
necessity  for  lime  salts  in  the  growth  of  the  skeleton. 
Bone  formation  is  effected  by  the  deposit  of  lime  salts 
in  the  pre-formed  cartilage,  the  material  for  it  being 
supplied  in  the  food.  The  formation  of  bone  tissue 
goes  on  all  through  childhood,  but  with  the  sudden 
increase  of  growth  in  the  bones  in  early  youth  the 
demand  for  material  becomes  suddenly  much  larger, 
and  with  it  arises  a  craving  for  articles  that  contain 
lime  salts,  even  though  they  are  quite  unsuited  for 
food.  This  explains  the  fancy  displayed  by  some 
young  girls  for  eating  chalk,  slate  pencils,  plaster 


12  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

from  the  walls,  and  similar  articles.  An  excellent 
description  of  this  particular  fancy,  as  well  as  some 
of  the  other  physiological  features  of  girlhood,  has 
been  given  us  by  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  in  one  of 
his  humorous  poems :  — 

"  Now  six  young  damsels  slight  and  frail 

Next  claimed  this  kind  young  doctor's  cares. 
They  all  were  getting  thin  and  pale 

And  short  of  breath  on  mounting  stairs; 
They  all  made  rhymes  about  sighs  and  skies 

And  loathed  their  puddings  and  buttered  rolls, 
And  dieted  —  much  to  their  friends'  surprise  — 

On  pickles  and  pencils  and  chalk  and  coals." 

In  course  of  time,  when  the  changes  taking  place 
in  the  digestive  organs  during  girlhood  are  better 
understood  than  they  are  to-day,  we  shall  probably 
understand  other  caprices  and  cravings.  The  more 
serious  forms  of  actually  perverted  appetite,  in  which 
there  is  a  craving  for  dirt  and  other  absolutely  re- 
pulsive articles,  are  associated  with  some  mental  dis- 
turbance. In  the  future  they  also  will  probably  be 
understood,  but  at  present  they  are  among  the  curios- 
ities of  medicine. 

The  second  set  of  teeth  have  appeared  before  the 
beginning  of  the  period  we  are  now  considering,  but 
the  last  four  molars,  commonly  known  as  wisdom 
teeth,  make  their  appearance  between  fourteen  and 
twenty-five.  The  size  of  the  jaw  in  human  beings 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  13 

has  become  so  reduced  under  the  use  of  cooked  food 
and  other  influences  of  civilization  that  not  infre- 
quently there  is  difficulty  in  finding  room  for  these 
belated  intruders,  and  when  this  happens  they  may 
give  trouble  and  require  attention  from  a  dentist. 

Certain  changes  in  the  skin  are  peculiar  to  girlhood. 
The  sensibility  of  it  is  sometimes  greatly  increased 
and  at  others  diminished.  When  it  is  lessened  the 
usual  perception  of  pain  may  be  almost  lost,  and  this 
is  the  reason  why  girls  will  occasionally  find  amuse- 
ment in  pricking  themselves  with  pins,  in  a  manner 
startling  to  older  persons.  The  tactile  corpuscles  at 
the  ends  of  the  fingers,  concerned  with  the  sense  of 
touch,  become  more  highly  developed  at  this  time  and 
the  perceptions  connected  with  them  more  acute.  This 
increase  of  tactile  perception  is  one  of  the  reasons  why 
manual  training  is  so  much  more  effective  at  this  age. 

Eruptions,  especially  on  the  face,  are  very  common 
in  girlhood;  so  much  so,  in  fact,  that  hardly  any  girl 
wholly  escapes  them.  Their  cause  is  not  altogether 
clear,  but  probably  they  are  associated  to  some  extent 
with  the  changes  in  the  circulation,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  they  are  often  connected  with  constitutional 
disturbances  such  as  anemia  or  indigestion.  It  may 
be  because  they  are  so  extremely  common  that  such 
eruptions  do  not  always  receive  the  attention  they 
deserve.  There  is  a  popular  impression  that  they 
ought  not  to  be  interfered  with  and  will  right  them- 


14  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

selves  if  only  they  are  let  alone,  which  is  so  far  true 
that  when  they  are  slight  or  intermittent,  they  may 
be  safely  left  to  time.  But  any  eruption  that  is  even 
moderately  severe,  or  that  persists  for  months  at  a 
time,  should  have  attention  from  a  skin  specialist,  if 
possible;  or  at  any  rate  from  a  physician.  It  is  true 
that  they  almost  always  disappear  eventually  without 
treatment,  but  the  interval  before  their  spontaneous 
disappearance  may  extend  over  years  and  in  the  mean- 
time the  surface  of  the  skin  is  more  or  less  perma- 
nently injured  and  the  clearness  of  the  complexion 
lost,  to  say  nothing  of  the  mortification  and  distress 
of  mind  endured  by  a  sensitive  girl.  The  fact  that 
skin  troubles  are  often  caused  by  some  constitutional 
difficulty  is  quite  generally  recognized,  but  unfortu- 
nately it  is  associated  with  another  popular  error, 
namely,  that  the  cure  of  the  local  disorder  will  be 
followed  by  some  grave  crisis  in  the  constitutional  dif- 
ficulty. A  common  saying  in  regard  to  them  is  that, 
"  Whatever  it  is,  is  better  out  than  in."  This  idea  is 
altogether  without  foundation.  If  there  is  a  consti- 
tutional cause,  the  skin  trouble  will  not  get  well,  of 
course,  until  it  is  cured,  but  the  necessity  for  finding 
out  and  removing  the  underlying  difficulty  is  only  an 
additional  reason  for  professional  advice. 

There  are  two  excellent  and  perfectly  harmless  rem- 
edies for  these  eruptions  at  everyone's  command.  The 
first  of  these  is  regulation  of  the  bowels.  Almost  all 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  15 

skin  troubles  are  associated  with  constipation  and  a 
marked  improvement  nearly  always  follows  its  re- 
lief. The  other  remedy  is  to  wash  the  face  every 
night  with  water  as  hot  as  can  be  borne  and  a  good 
soap,  such,  for  instance,  as  white  castile.  Most  skin 
troubles  and  acne,  in  particular,  which  is  by  far  the 
most  common  of  them,  are  caused  by  a  torpid  condi- 
tion of  the  glands  in  the  skin  with  deficiency  of  secre- 
tion, and  nothing  does  so  much  to  relieve  this  diffi- 
culty as  stimulation  with  heat,  moisture,  and  a  good 
soap. 

The  organs  of  special  sense  undergo  certain  trans- 
formations at  the  same  time  as  the  more  general 
changes.  The  voice  with  girls,  does  not  undergo  the 
marked  variations  that  are  present  with  boys,  because 
a  girl's  larynx  does  not  grow  so  large,  hence  the  period 
of  change  in  her  is  not  accompanied  by  the  grotesque 
sounds  which  characterize  it  in  him.  But  about  the 
age  of  fifteen  the  girl's  childish  voice  disappears,  yield- 
ing quietly  and  without  any  distinct  epoch  of  transi- 
tion, to  the  woman's  voice  with  its  higher  pitch  and 
undefinable  quality  of  sex. 

The  sense  of  smell  passes  through  distinct  altera- 
tions of  sensibility.  Children  are  extremely  insensi- 
tive to  odor  of  any  kind;  a  perfume  must  be  very 
heavy  or  very  penetrating  to  give  them  pleasure,  while 
on  the  other  hand,  a  bad  smell  must  be  very  strong  to 
disgust  them.  But  with  girlhood  the  perception  of 


16  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

odors  becomes  much  keener  and  the  capacity  for  en- 
joyment or  disgust  is  enlarged.  Delicate  perfumes 
are  more  agreeable  than  heavy  ones,  and  peculiarities 
which  formerly  were  not  perceptible  now  give  ex- 
quisite enjoyment.  Evil  odors,  on  the  other  hand,  to 
which  children  are  wholly  indifferent,  become  over- 
poweringly  disagreeable.  This  fact  is  sometimes 
amusingly  illustrated  by  the  change  of  opinion  that 
takes  place  about  this  time  in  life  as  to  the  attraction 
of  a  visit  to  the  monkey  house  at  a  Zoological  Gar- 
den. The  little  girl,  who  delighted  in  it  up  to  the 
age  of  fourteen  or  thereabout,  will  suddenly  discover 
that  the  atmosphere  is  intolerable,  a  fact  of  which,  up 
to  this  time,  she  was  happily  unconscious.  This  in- 
crease of  perception  is  often  considered  a  mere  affec- 
tation and  girls  have  to  bear  more  or  less  ridicule 
in  regard  to  it;  but  it  is  really  one  of  the  phases 
of  normal  development,  and  a  girl  has  no  more 
power  over  it  than  over  the  change  in  her  voice, 
or  her  bones,  or  her  muscles,  though  the  self -conscious- 
ness of  the  period  may  sometimes  foster  it. 

Hearing  undergoes  little  or  no  change  as  far  as 
acuteness  in  the  perception  of  sound  is  concerned,  but 
as  an  avenue  for  enjoyment  it  develops  greatly.  In 
childhood  there  is  usually  a  complete  indifference  to 
music,  unless  there  is  a  distinct  talent  for  it,  and 
when  no  such  talent  exists  the  same  indifference  will 
return  in  maturity.  But  during  the  period  of  youth, 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  17 

even  girls  who  are  naturally  unmusical  find  pleasure 
in  melody,  especially  of  their  own  creation.  The  de- 
sire to  perform  upon  some  kind  of  instrument,  nota 
bly  the  banjo,  is  almost  universal.  Probably,  how- 
ever, the  development  of  tactile  perception  and  muscu- 
lar co-ordination  has  something  to  do  with  the  nascent 
wish  to  be  a  performer. 

The  use  of  the  voice,  from  a  musical  standpoint 
also  begins  to  be  a  source  of  pleasure  at  this  epoch. 
Mere  animal  spirits,  no  doubt,  have  something  to  do 
with  enjoyment  of  its  use  in  melody,  but  a  real  de- 
velopment of  aural  perception  is  evident  from  the 
fact  that  the  harsh  discordant  sounds  which  in  child- 
hood were  unnoticed  or  even  agreeable,  now  become 
increasingly  unpleasant.  This  is  a  point  of  difference 
between  boys  and  girls,  for  boys  continue  to  carry 
their  love  of  uncouth  sounds,  such  as  college  yells 
and  war-whoops,  into  early  manhood. 

The  normal  changes  in  vision  at  this  period  are  not 
marked.  The  perception  of  color  becomes  more 
acute  and  more  intense,  and  with  it  appears  the  love 
of  exceedingly  bright  colors,  which  is  so  characteristic 
of  youth.  As  time  goes  on,  however,  crudity  of  taste 
is  outgrown,  being  sometimes  succeeded  by  exquisite 
delicacy  of  color- feeling.  The  judgment  of  form  also 
becomes  more  accurate,  and  the  perception  of  beauty 
more  developed.  Abnormal  changes  in  the  eyesight 
occasioned  by  over-strain  are  sometimes  quite  marked, 


i8  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

and  much  permanent  harm  to  eyesight  results  from 
them,  but  it  seems  better  to  discuss  these  in  connection 
with  the  eye. 

Disturbances  of  the  nervous  system  may  find  ex- 
pression through  either  the  mind  or  the  body ;  whereas 
disturbances  of  other  organs  or  systems  must  express 
themselves  through  the  body  exclusively.  The  most 
common  disturbance  of  the  nervous  system  in  girls  is 
chorea,  or  what  is  known  in  old-fashioned  parlance  as 
St.  Vitus'  Dance.  It  is  a  disorder  characterized  by 
irregular  and  involuntary  muscular  movements,  the 
cause  of  which  is  not  yet  clearly  understood.  All  that 
we  do  know  with  certainty  is  that  there  is  no  actual 
disease  of  the  nervous  system.  It  is  not  surprising 
that  the  condition  is  regarded  with  great  dread,  for  its 
peculiarities  are  most  alarming  as  well  as  most  morti- 
fying. There  is  really,  however,  no  reason  for  appre- 
hension. With  the  exception  of  a  few  rare  cases  of  a 
peculiar  nature,  the  disease  runs  its  course  and  re- 
covery takes  place  spontaneously.  It  usually  makes 
its  appearance  in  bright  intelligent  girls  rather  than 
stupid  ones,  and  it  is  especially  frequent  in  ambitious 
girls  who  are  stimulated  beyond  their  physical  en- 
durance at  school.  One  physician  of  experience  has 
even  gone  so  far  as  to  speak  of  it  as  "  school-made." 
The  first  symptoms  of  it  are  usually  nothing  more 
than  restlessness  and  inability  to  sit  still  in  one  posi- 
tion, sometimes  accompanied  by  disturbed  sleep  and 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  19 

causeless  attacks  of  crying.  The  characteristic  jerk- 
ing movements  begin  a  little  later.  Often  they  are 
first  noticed  at  table  and  a  girl  is  supposed  to  be 
awkward  or  careless  because  she  drops  articles  that 
are  handed  to  her.  In  severe  cases  all  the  muscles  of 
the  body  are  affected  and  movements  of  every  kind 
become  jerking  and  eccentric.  A  doctor  ought  al- 
ways, of  course,  to  be  consulted  in  regard  to  chorea, 
for  there  are  various  means  by  which  he  can  relieve 
and  shorten  it;  but  the  disease,  as  I  said  before,  is 
one  that  almost  always  gets  well  spontaneously. 

Another  nervous  affection  which  sometimes  makes 
its  first  appearance  in  youth,  though  not  so  often  as 
in  childhood,  is  stammering.  It  is  caused  by  a  want 
of  co-ordination  between  the  muscles  of  speech  and 
the  brain  impulse  which  stimulates  them  to  action. 
While  not  serious  in  itself,  it  ought  to  have  extreme 
care,  because  if  not  cured  immediately,  it  may  easily 
become  permanent. 

That  particular  form  of  headache,  accompanied  by 
nausea  and  vomiting,  which  is  commonly  known  as 
sick  headache  and  technically  as  migraine,  almost  al- 
ways makes  its  appearance  in  youth.  It  is  occasion- 
ally, though  rarely,  seen  in  childhood,  but  hardly  ever 
begins  after  twenty.  The  disorder  is  undoubtedly  a 
nerve  storm  of  some  kind,  though  we  do  not  know  the 
explanation  of  it.  It  is  often  associated  with  some 
constitutional  disease,  especially  gout,  and  it  is  quite  a 


20  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

different  thing  from  the  headache  which  accompanies 
an  attack  of  acute  indigestion  with  gastric  symptoms. 
Genuine  migraine  is "  almost  always  inherited,  either 
directly  or  collaterally.  The  pain  is  usually  on  but 
one  side  of  the  head  and  is  accompanied  by  various  dis- 
turbances of  the  nervous  system,  such  as  temporary 
loss  of  sight,  giddiness,  a  sense  of  blinding  light,  and 
other  symptoms,  some  of  which  are  present  in  one 
case  and  some  in  another. 

Neurasthenia,  or  nervous  prostration,  is  not  com- 
mon in  girlhood,  though  the  foundations  of  it  are 
often  laid  at  that  time  by  over-pressure  either  in 
education  or  in  social  life.  The  form  peculiar  to 
girlhood,  when  it  does  occur  at  that  time,  is  character- 
ized by  excessive  fatigue  following  exertion  quite  in- 
sufficient to  account  for  it.  Whenever  nervous  pros- 
tration does  occur  in  a  young  girl  it  must  be  taken  as  a 
sign  that  her  nervous  system  is  not  fully  up  to  par  and 
requires  more  care  than  under  ordinary  circumstances. 
Her  life  in  future  must  be  so  arranged  as  to  give  her 
every  facility  for  taking  the  necessary  precautions. 
Excitement  or  exertion  that  in  a  normal  girl  might 
do  no  harm,  are  too  great  a  risk  in  the  case  of  one 
who  has  shown  signs  of  neurasthenia,  even  though 
she  has  entirely  recovered.  A  liberal  allowance  of 
sleep  also  is  a  necessity  and  it  must  not  be  curtailed 
for  any  reason  whatever.  The  same  thing  is  true  in 
regard  to  other  nervous  ailments,  as  in  the  case  ot 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  21 

girls  who  suffer  from  neuritis  or  from  prolonged  neu- 
ralgia. 

A  word  must  be  said  in  regard  to  that  worst  of  all 
nervous  disorders,  epilepsy,  though  fortunately  it  is 
not  common.  When  it  does  exist,  it  most  commonly 
makes  its  appearance  between  thirteen  and  eighteen. 
It  differs  from  the  other  conditions  we  have  discussed, 
because  in  it  there  are  areas  of  actual  disease  in  the 
brain,  though  it  seems  to  be  doubtful  how  far  these 
are  the  result  of  the  epilepsy  or  its  cause.  It  is  strong- 
ly hereditary,  or  rather  the  nervous  imperfection  that 
gives  rise  to  it,  is  hereditary,  but  in  the  immediate 
ancestors  the  defect  may  have  shown  itself  as  insanity, 
intemperance,  or  some  other  abnormality  of  the  ner- 
vous system.  Whenever  signs  of  it  appear,  of  even 
the  mildest  description,  the  case  should  be  put  under 
the  care  of  a  specialist  at  once.  How  far  the  condi- 
tion is  susceptible  of  cure  is  not  yet  determined,  but 
we  do  know  that  we  have  more  reason  to  be  hopeful 
in  regard  to  recovery  than  we  formerly  had,  and  also 
that  the  condition  can  be  kept  from  growing  worse 
by  timely  treatment. 

It  is  only  necessary  to  have  a  clear  understanding 
of  the  physical  side  of  girlhood  to  realize  that  it  is 
a  period  calling  for  incessant  care  and  attention. 
Only  now,  however,  has  this  understanding  been 
reached;  the  necessities  of  girls  at  this  age  up  to  the 
present  time,  being  too  little  regarded.  Mothers,  who 


22  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

watch  over  every  minute  of  a  young  child's  existence 
with  jealous  care,  often  become  indifferent  when  she 
reaches  girlhood.  It  is  not  surprising  that  such 
marked  bodily  changes  should  sometimes  be  accom- 
panied by  disturbances  of  health ;  there  is  more  reason 
for  surprise  that  these  disturbances  are  not  more  fre- 
quent and  more  serious.  Many  of  them  disappear 
spontaneously  and  others  yield  readily  to  medical 
treatment.  But  the  advice  of  any  intelligent  sensible 
physician  will  take  the  shape  largely  of  directions  as 
to  the  healthful  conduct  of  life  rather  than  the  pre- 
scription of  medicines,  and  just  as  a  typhoid  patient 
owes  his  life  mainly  to  the  nurse  upon  whom  the 
hourly  care  of  his  case  depends,  so  does  a  young  girl 
owe  her  healthy  womanhood  to  nothing  so  much  as 
the  mother  whose  intelligent  care  and  sympathy  con- 
trol her  daily  life  during  her  passage  from  child  to 
woman. 

I  give  here,  in  conclusion,  the  account  of  a  case  in 
my  own  experience  which  illustrates  what  can  be 
done  by  sanity  and  patience,  even  when  the  disturbance 
of  health  is  more  serious  than  is  often  the  case.  A 
girl  who  had  had  a  normal  healthy  childhood,  began, 
when  she  was  about  thirteen,  to  display  great  languor 
and  disinclination  to  exertion  whether  in  study  or  play. 
At  first  this  was  set  down  to  indolence,  but  her  mother 
shortly  became  convinced  that  some  change  incident 
to  her  age  was  the  underlying  cause,  though  nothing 


PHYSICAL  DISTURBANCES  23 

was  apparent  beyond  a  certain  degree  of  anemia.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  months  she  developed  the  symp- 
toms characteristic  of  heart  disturbance,  namely,  ra- 
pidity of  action,  palpitation,  and  shortness  of  breath, 
soon  followed  by  an  attack  of  chorea  so  severe  that 
she  could  not  walk  and  had  to  be  carried  each  day 
into  the  open  air.  She  was  under  the  care  of  a  good 
physician,  but  she  lived  at  such  a  distance  from  him 
that  he  could  see  her  only  at  long  intervals,  and  her 
mother  carried  out  his  instructions,  which  were  mainly 
directed  to  rest,  sleep,  fresh  air  and  nourishment. 
Under  this  regimen  the  child  improved  slowly,  until  at 
the  end  of  eighteen  months  from  the  first  attack  she 
was  able  to  go  back  to  school,  after  which  the  symp- 
toms gradually  disappeared  altogether,  and  she  is  now 
a  vigorous,  healthy  young  woman,  who  spent  four 
years  in  college  without  any  strain  upon  her  health 
whatever.  Yet  this  was  a  case  of  unusual  severity 
with  a  wider  range  of  disturbance  than  is  often  seen. 


CHAPTER  II 

MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  OF  GIRLHOOD 

Development  of  brain  —  Self  consciousness  —  Egotism  — 
Altruism  —  Self-confidence  —  Timidity  —  Interest  in  per- 
sonal appearance  —  Love  of  society  —  Love  of  solitude  — 
Reticence  —  Girlish  friendships  —  Early  love  affairs  — 
Attachments  to  older  women  —  Hero-worship  —  Religious 
excitement  —  Spiritual  awakening  —  Religious  doubt  — 
Conversion  — Religious  activity  —  Pledges  —  Morbid  re- 
ligious feeling  —  Nostalgia  —  Hysteria  —  Insanity. 

THE  brain  increases  very  little  in  size  after  the 
eighth  year,  and  the  brain  cells  are  almost  as  large 
and  as  numerous  by  that  time  as  they  ever  will  be. 
But  the  function  of  the  brain,  that  is  to  say  the  capa- 
city for  thought,  depends,  not  upon  the  size  or  number 
of  the  cells,  but  upon  the  number  and  arrangement  of 
certain  long  fibers,  called  nerve  processes,  which  ex- 
tend from  one  cell  to  another  and  establish  paths  of 
connection  by  which  ideas  travel  from  one  part  of  the 
brain  to  another.  The  extent  and  variety  of  these 
connections  are  what  determine  brain  capacity,  for 
upon  them  depends  the  number  of  ideas  and  their 
association  with  one  another,  as  well  as  rapidity  of 
thought.  During  childhood  the  number  of  nerve  proc- 

24 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  25 

esses  is  small  and  the  paths  for  ideas  few  and  simple, 
but  when  the  growth  of  the  brain  in  respect  to  size  is 
complete,  they  begin  to  develop  in  every  direction. 
The  growth  of  mental  power,  however,  depends  not 
only  upon  the  development  and  association  of  nerve 
cells  and  nerve  processes  but  upon  their  education 
by  which  new  regions  of  thought  are  opened  and 
paths  of  least  resistance  cultivated  and  it  is  during 
youth  that  such  training  is  most  easily  and  effectually 
carried  on.  This  is  the  time  when  education  does 
its  best  work  by  strengthening  structures  already 
formed  and  by  rousing  dormant  elements  to  fu- 
ture growth  and  organization.  If  the  nerve  ele- 
ments of  the  brain  are  by  nature  deficient,  cultivation 
cannot  do  much  for  them  but,  on  the  other  hand,  no 
matter  how  rich  in  possibilities  they  may  be,  much 
latent  ability  will  be  lost  in  the  absence  of  the 
training  and  stimulation  bestowed  by  formal  educa- 
tion. 

The  process  of  cell  development  begins  at  about  the 
same  time  as  the  period  of  physical  growth.  Up  to 
that  time  the  higher  mental  processes,  such  as  intellect, 
imagination,  and  originality  of  thought  exist  only  in 
a  latent  state,  but  with  the  establishment  of  brain  con- 
nections in  every  direction  they  come  rapidly  into  ac- 
tivity. The  development  of  the  different  mental 
faculties,  however,  is  extremely  unequal,  emotion  and 
imagination  advancing  more  quickly  than  intellect  and 


a6  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

reason,  so  that  during  the  early  years  of  mental 
growth  there  is  great  mental  instability  and  excess  of 
the  emotions.  Emotional  life  is,  indeed,  the  most 
prominent  feature  of  early  girlhood,  a  fact  which 
must  never  be  forgotten  in  studying  the  mental  pecu- 
liarities of  the  period,  for,  in  most  cases,  it  contains 
their  explanation.  These  mental  disturbances  begin 
at  about  the  same  time  as  the  physical  ones,  described 
in  the  previous  chapter,  but  they  continue  longer,  and, 
speaking  generally,  it  may  be  said  that  while  the  bodily 
changes  occupy  the  years  between  twelve  and  sixteen, 
the  mental  ones  cover  the  period  between  twelve  and 
twenty-one,  being  most  intense  from  fifteen  to 
eighteen. 

The  most  characteristic  feature  in  the  mental  de- 
velopment of  girlhood  is  self-consciousness,  or,  to  put 
it  more  exactly,  the  consciousness  of  self;  which  is  the 
basis  of  all  the  mental  changes  of  the  period.  During 
childhood  there  is  little  or  no  consciousness  of  the  in- 
dividual. The  little  girl  is  cared  for  by  others,  her 
judgments  and  opinions  are  taken  from  others,  and 
she  not  only  acquiesces  in  this  state  of  things,  but  has 
no  conception  of  any  other.  The  most  characteristic 
feature  of  childhood  is  imitation.  But  with  the 
dawn  of  mental  development  and  the  birth  of  new 
ideas,  begins  the  growth  of  individual  life  and  the 
capacity  to  reason,  judge,  and  analyze.  Life  has 
hitherto  been  limited  by  the  girl's  own  surroundings, 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  27 

which  she  has  accepted  without  question;  now  she  be- 
gins to  ask  herself  the  meaning  of  things  around  her, 
and  then,  going  a  step  farther,  she  looks  out  into  the 
world  and  ponders  over  her  own  relation  to  it,  realiz- 
ing that  a  place  in  it  is  her  birthright  and  speculating 
upon  its  possibilities.  While,  all  the  time,  underneath 
this  mental  awakening  lies  the  mysterious  influence  of 
sex  just  coming  into  existence,  unrecognized  by  her 
but  nevertheless  entering  into  all  her  thoughts  and 
emotions.  It  is  not  strange,  surely,  that  this  phase 
of  her  life  should  be  one  of  storm  and  stress  during 
which  she  is  subject  to  excess  of  emotion. 

The  fundamental  self-consciousness  of  the  period 
expresses  itself  in  a  variety  of  ways,  sometimes  in  ap- 
parent contradiction  to  each  other.  Egotism  is  pres- 
ent, whichever  way  we  turn,  for  nothing  in  the  world 
is  so  interesting  to  a  girl  at  this  time  in  life  as  herself; 
yet  this  is  the  moment  when  the  altruistic  instinct,  in 
other  words  the  feeling  for  others,  first  makes  itself 
felt.  It  seems  as  though  the  perception  of  an  indi- 
vidual place  in  the  world  belonging  to  herself  brought 
with  it  the  perception  of  the  place  occupied  by  others, 
so  that  the  selfish  and  the  altruistic  instinct  exist  side 
by  side  in  a  manner  which  is  never  possible  again,  for 
by  the  time  maturity  is  reached  one  or  the  other  will 
have  gained  ascendancy  and  will  maintain  the  domin- 
ant note  throughout  the  future  life.  Another  seem- 
ing contradiction  is  the  presence  of  self-confidence  and 


28  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

self-distrust  in  the  same  person,  one  mood  succeeding 
the  other  with  instant  transition.  But  this  is  only  the 
natural  outcome  of  lack  of  self-knowledge.  A  girl  at 
this  age  does  not  know  herself  and  self-confidence 
without  self-understanding  is  easily  upset. 

The  effect  of  the  self -consciousness  on  manner  is 
largely  a  question  of  temperament.  Girls  who  are 
naturally  timid  are  awkward,  shy  and  sensitive  to 
such  a  degree  that  they  sometimes  seem  paralyzed  in 
the  presence  of  strangers,  while  others,  by  nature  self- 
possessed,  are  confident  even  to  the  point  of  boldness. 
But  shyness  does  not  always  show  itself  in  difficulty 
of  speech.  On  the  contrary,  extreme  shyness  may  be 
at  the  bottom  of  loud,  rapid  talking  on  all-chosen  sub- 
jects, while  at  other  times,  speech,  although  fluent,  is 
so  forced  and  nervous  as  to  be  almost  incoherent. 
Both  the  talkative  and  the  tongue-tied  forms  of  shy- 
ness proceed  from  the  same  thing,  namely,  the  percep- 
tion in  the  girl's  mind  that  she  does  not  know  exactly 
what  she  ought  to  say  or  do,  and  therefore  she  either 
abandons  the  attempt  and  takes  refuge  in  silence  or 
makes  an  agonized  effort  resulting  in  incoherent  chat- 
ter. 

Boldness,  or  in  its  extreme  form,  impudence,  is  an 
indication  of  confidence  in  the  ability  to  do  and  say 
the  right  thing  and  a  determination  to  let  the  capacity 
be  seen.  It  is  not  so  common  as  shyness,  and  when 
it  is  present,  there  has  generally  been  some  defect  in 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  39 

early  training.  Not  that  defective  training  neces- 
sarily results  in  boldness  of  manner,  but  when  ex- 
treme self-assurance  is  a  natural  trait,  an  error  in 
early  education  will  bring  it  to  flagrant  proportions 
in  early  youth. 

Intense  interest  in  personal  appearance  is  a  very 
common  manifestation  of  self -consciousness,  and 
often  develops  suddenly  when  there  has  been  no  sign 
of  it  before.  Up  to  this  time  clothes  have  been  taken 
as  a  matter  of  course,  very  much  as  if  they  were  fur 
or  feathers ;  now  they  become  one  of  the  vital  interests 
in  life.  Trifling  questions  of  fashion,  color  or  fit,  are 
a  real  source  of  unhappiness;  the  exaggerated  impor- 
tance attached  to  them  gives  the  impression  that  noth- 
ing else  in  the  world  can  be  of  any  consequence  what- 
ever, and  that  the  girls  expect  to  stand  or  fall  in  life 
by  their  clothes.  The  form  of  fastidiousness  takes  dif- 
ferent directions  according  to  temperament.  Some 
girls  wish  to  have  their  dress  and  appointments  as 
striking  as  possible,  in  order  to  attract  attention;  oth- 
ers manifest  an  almost  morbid  desire  that  everything 
about  them  shall  be  so  exactly  what  it  should  be  that 
it  will  attract  no  notice  whatever,  whether  approval 
or  censure.  This  difference  is  really,  at  bottom,  one 
of  character,  arising  from  a  natural  confidence  or  a 
natural  timidity. 

Increased  attention  to  personal  neatness  is  another 
feature  of  this  particular  phase.  Often  it  is  in 


30  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

marked  contrast  to  the  previous  condition  of  affairs. 
Many  girls  up  to  thirteen  or  fourteen,  are  as  careless 
and  indifferent  to  their  toilet  as  their  brothers,  and 
will  not  give  due  attention  to  its  details  without  super- 
vision. Very  few  girls,  indeed,  can  be  trusted  with 
the  care  of  their  own  toilet  before  they  are  fifteen. 
Then,  of  a  sudden,  there  is  a  transformation,  personal 
nicety  and  adornment  becoming  matters  of  absorbing 
interest  and  importance.  Dainty  and  fanciful  toilet 
appointments,  such  as  ivory  or  silver-backed  brushes 
or  elaborate  manicure  sets,  become  objects  of  pride  or 
envy,  and  the  beautifying  of  bedrooms  occupies  much 
time  and  attention.  All  these  new  interests,  whether 
of  dress,  of  person,  or  of  appointments,  are  signs  of 
the  new  consciousness  of  independent  personality,  and 
also  of  the  perception  that  its  attraction  to  the  other 
sex  is  beginning  to  be  appreciated.  Miss  Austen  has 
touched  upon  this  phase  of  girlhood  with  delightful 
humor  in  the  description  of  her  heroine,  Catherine 
Morland : 

"  At  ten  years  old  .  .  .  she  was  noisy  and 
wild,  hated  confinement  and  cleanliness,  and  loved 
nothing  in  the  world  so  well  as  rolling  down  the  green 
slope  at  the  back  of  the  house.  At  fifteen  appear- 
ances were  mending;  she  began  to  curl  her  hair  and 
long  for  balls ;  her  complexion  improved,  her  features 
softened,  her  eyes  gained  more  animation,  and  her 
figure  more  consequence.  Her  love  of  dirt  gave  way 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  31 

to  an  inclination  for  finery,  and  she  grew  clean  as  she 
grew  smart." 

The  social  sense  almost  always  undergoes  some 
change.  Some  girls  have  a  craving  for  society;  oth- 
ers for  solitude.  The  little  girl  who  dreaded  the 
companionship  of  other  children  and  could  not  bear  to 
go  away  from  home  will  suddenly  develop  an  inor- 
dinate taste  for  social  intercourse.  She  will  go  any- 
where and  everywhere  she  is  invited,  and  makes  plans 
for  incessant  company  at  home.  This  development 
of  the  social  sense  and  of  the  gregarious  instinct  shows 
itself  in  the  fancy  for  societies  and  clubs,  so  common 
among  school  girls,  while  in  boys  it  appears  in  a  dis- 
position to  "  go  in  gangs." 

At  the  other  extreme  of  this  phase  is  the  taste  for 
solitude.  A  girl  who  was  formerly  content  and  happy 
in  the  society  of  other  children,  now  seizes  every  op- 
portunity to  read  or  walk  alone,  or  slip  away  by  her- 
self and  sit  lost  in  her  own  thoughts.  The  satisfac- 
tion in  being  alone,  however,  does  not  always  proceed 
from  aversion  to  companionship  in  itself.  The  med- 
ley of  new  thoughts,  impressions  and  emotions 
crowded  into  a  girl's  mind  at  this  time  sometimes  be- 
comes so  oppressive  that  she  longs  for  isolation  until 
she  has  established  some  sort  of  relation  between  her- 
self and  her  new  mental  processes.  It  is  rather  the 
custom  to  ascribe  this  kind  of  conduct  to  secretiveness, 
which  I  cannot  help  thinking  shows  a  misunderstand- 


32  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

ing  of  its  nature.  Secretiveness  implies  a  deliberate  in- 
tention to  conceal,  but  the  reticence  of  this  period  is 
usually  entirely  without  conscious  intention.  The  girl 
does  not  scheme  to  conceal  what  is  passing  in  her 
mind,  but  her  thoughts  at  this  time  are  as  full  of 
mystery  to  herself  as  to  others,  and  if  she  does  not 
speak  of  them  openly  it  is  because  she  does  not  un- 
derstand herself  and  has  no  means  of  expression  at 
her  command. 

It  is  at  this  point  in  development  that  parents  often 
make  a  grave  mistake.  Not  infrequently  a  mother, 
to.  whom  all  her  daughter's  plans,  hopes,  and  aspira- 
tions have  always  been  known,  suddenly  finds  herself 
shut  out,  not  by  intention  on  the  girl's  part,  but  by 
force  of  changes  within,  which  she  lacks  power  to 
express.  It  is  not  surprising  that  a  mother  should  ex- 
perience a  moment's  hurt  feeling  when  she  first  real- 
izes that  the  child  whose  every  thought  has  hitherto 
been  known  to  her  is  now  more  or  less  a  mystery,  but 
good  sense  ought  to  convince  her  that  the  new  order 
of  things  is  only  what  is  natural  and  right.  This  is 
the  time  when  a  girl,  to  use  a  coloquial  phrase,  is  doing 
her  own  thinking,  and  it  is  for  her  own  good  that  she 
should  do  it  spontaneously,  without  being  forced  to 
attempt  an  analysis  of  her  mental  processes  for  the 
information  of  another,  no  matter  how  near  and  dear 
the  other  may  be.  At  this  stage  of  mental  growth 
the  power  of  insight  is  far  in  advance  of  the  power 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  33 

of  expression.  A  girl  feels  and  perceives  much  more 
than  she  can  put  into  words  or  even  into  connected 
thought.  By-and-by  when  the  reasoning  powers  are 
more  developed  and  the  mental  processes  are  in  equili- 
brium, all  her  half-formulated  ideas,  aspirations,  and 
wonderings  will  take  form  and  find  expression;  but 
until  this  time  comes  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  intrude 
upon  her  reserve.  Properly  treated,  the  period  is 
only  a  temporary  one.  If  a  girl  finds  that  her  confi- 
dence is  not  forced  and  is  sensible  of  that  silent  com- 
prehension and  sympathy  which  demands  no  recogni- 
tion, she  will  give  her  confidence  again  fully  and  freely 
as  she  did  before;  but  interference  with  the  process  of 
self -evolution  just  at  this  period  will  certainly  impair 
confidence  for  the  future. 

Turning  to  emotional  changes  of  a  deeper  charac- 
ter, we  find  that  those  of  affection  are  most  common. 
With  little  children  the  family  circle  represents  the 
entire  world  and  the  affections  developed  within  it  are 
founded  upon  dependence  and  trust,  but  with  the  ad- 
vent of  youth,  other  types  of  affection  make  their 
appearance,  all  of  which  contain  more  or  less  of  the 
altruistic  instinct,  combined  in  each  instance  with  some 
other  sentiment  or  sentiments.  The  simplest  of  the 
various  forms  of  youthful  affection  is  that  of  friend- 
ship between  two  girls  of  about  the  same  age,  at- 
tachments which  are  often  of  great  intensity  for  the 
moment. 


34  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

Sometimes  parents  are  disposed  to  disapprove  of 
such  friendships  on  the  ground  that  they  are  too  en- 
grossing and  that  other  claims  or  duties  are  neglected. 
No  doubt  this  danger  does  exist.  Youth,  as  someone 
has  said,  is  the  age  of  folly,  and  occasionally  a  girl 
will  carry  such  an  attachment  'to  absurd  lengths, 
neglecting  her  acquaintance,  her  studies,  even  her 
family,  for  this  one  intimacy,  going  out  only  in  the 
beloved  one's  company,  entering  into  no  pleasures  or 
interests  which  cannot  be  shared  with  her,  and  dress- 
ing either  exactly  like  her,  or  in  accordance  with  her 
taste.  This  kind  of  thing,  if  kept  up  for  any  length 
of  time,  is,  of  course,  detrimental  to  a  rounded  de- 
velopment, but  as  a  matter  of  fact  the  passion  burns 
itself  out,  like  other  intense  emotions,  in  a  few  months, 
and  either  becomes  an  extinct  volcano  or  else  settles 
down  into  a  common-place,  e very-day  regard.  If  it 
is  kept  within  moderate  bounds  while  it  lasts  it  is 
not  a  bad  thing,  provided  it  satisfies  two  requirements, 
namely,  that  both  parties  shall  be  innocent-minded, 
conscientious  girls  and  that  duties  or  ties  which  have 
a  moral  claim  shall  not  be  neglected  for  it.  Under 
undue  repression  the  emotional  disturbance  at  the  bot- 
tom of  it  will  certainly  find  some  other  means  of  ex- 
pression and  a  girlish  friendship  is  certainly  more 
desirable  than  a  premature  love  affair. 

Not  that  early  love  affairs  between  boy  and  girl, 
under  natural  and  blameless  conditions,  are  by  any 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  35 

means  so  objectionable  as  they  are  sometimes  thought 
to  be.  They  have  been  looked  upon  askance  because, 
until  recently,  the  opinion  of  the  French  psychologist, 
Ribot,  that  sex  instinct  is  the  only  influence  concerned 
in  them  has  been  accepted  without  question.  But 
later  psychologists  incline  to  the  belief  that  sex  in- 
stinct is  only  one  of  several  factors  involved,  and  not 
by  any  means  the  most  powerful.  The  altruistic  in- 
stinct is  certainly  an  element  in  all  the  other  affections 
that  develop  during  youth,  and  there  seems  every  rea- 
son to  believe  it  is  so  here.  In  fact,  the  opinion  now 
coming  to  be  accepted  in  regard  to  early  love  affairs  is 
that  they  are  composed  of  the  same  elements  as  friend- 
ships between  girls,  namely  the  altruistic  and  gregar- 
ious instincts,  with  the  addition  of  sex  instinct  in 
small  proportion.  External  influence,  such  as  imita- 
tion and  suggestion,  has  a  part  in  their  causation,  the 
latter  being  sometimes  a  most  harmful  agent.  But 
quite  as  powerful  as  either  of  these  and  in  many  in- 
stances much  more  so,  is  the  effect  produced  by  read- 
ing romantic  love  stories,  in  which  the  element  of 
passion  is  given  undue  prominence,  such  for  example 
as  the  serial  tales  in  the  cheap  weekly  papers. 

But  although  these  early  attachments  are  far  more 
childlike  and  platonic  in  their  nature  than  has  been 
supposed,  there  is  no  doubt  they  are  undesirable  for 
young  girls,  even  though  the  harm  done  by  them  is 
mainly  indirect.  Such  an  attachment  may  and  some- 


36  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

times  does  have  a  certain  good  effect  by  stimulating  a 
girl  to  pay  attention  to  her  manners  and  deportment, 
but  these  advantages  are  outbalanced  by  their  evils, 
such  as  neglect  of  study,  possible  jealousy  and  deceit, 
and  above  all,  by  the  unwholesome  excitement  which 
in  the  common  phrase,  turns  a  girl's  head.  Yet  it  is 
by  no  means  judicious  to  treat  such  affairs  with  sum- 
mary repression,  for  it  is  only  too  likely  to  induce  de- 
ceit. In  fact,  repression  is  never  a  wise  means  of 
treatment  for  emotional  excesses.  The  excitement  of 
girlhood  must  find  some  means  of  expression,  and  if 
the  chosen  outlet  is  thwarted,  it  will  either  continue 
its  course  by  underhand  means,  or  if  the  girl,  from 
conscientious  motives  lends  herself  to  repression,  her 
health  of  body  or  mind  will  almost  surely  suffer. 
The  period,  as  I  said  before,  is  one  of  storm  and 
stress,  and  the  girl  who  passes  through  the  years  be- 
tween twelve  and  twenty  without  emotional  disturb- 
ance of  some  kind  is  exceptional. 

Probably  the  best  means  of  dealing  with  youthful 
attachments  is  to  give  them  as  much  judicious  neglect 
as  is  consistent  with  keeping  them  under  quiet  ob- 
servation. Separation  has  a  most  excellent  effect,  be- 
cause the  growth  of  the  mental  powers  at  this  age  is  so 
rapid  that  even  a  brief  interval  of  time  will  create 
changes  so  marked  as  to  make  both  parties  feel  quite 
differently  when  they  meet  again.  Early  love  affairs, 
however,  are  one  of  the  things  in  which  an  ounce  of 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  37 

prevention  is  worth  a  pound  of  cure.  There  can  be 
no  doubt,  as  I  have  said  before,  that  they  are  fostered 
by  unsuitable  suggestions  during  the  later  years  of 
childhood,  which  do  an  immense  amount  of  harm 
that  is  not  sufficiently  appreciated,  for  even  when  it 
has  no  immediate  bad  effect,  it  prepares  the  way  for 
later  influences  of  a  harmful  nature.  Many  people 
who  think  twice  before  suggesting  a  love  affair  to  a 
young  girl,  think  it  is  pretty  to  do  so  in  her  babyhood, 
and  amusing  to  watch  the  effect  of  allusions  to  little 
sweethearts  of  six  and  seven  years  old.  But  the  child- 
ish mind  which  is  accustomed  to  such  allusions  has 
had  its  soil  well  prepared  for  the  same  influences  in 
later  years,  and  enters  into  a  girlish  attachment  far 
more  lightly  and  easily  than  would  be  the  case  if 
childhood  had  been  free  from  suggestion. 

The  results  of  investigation  into  early  love  affairs 
are  as  yet  too  small  to  warrant  positive  conclusions, 
but  as  far  as  they  go,  it  seems  that  their  tendency  is 
toward  a  natural  death,  and  therefore  there  are  rarely 
any  permanent  bad  results,  though  there  is  always  rea- 
son for  watchfulness  and  caution,  especially  at  the 
close  of  an  attachment,  for  the  excitement  occasioned 
by  it  often  results  in  a  craving  for  renewal.  Out  of 
one  hundred  cases  investigated  in  one  High  School, 
only  two  ended  in  marriage  and  one  of  these  applied 
for  a  divorce,  a  result  which  our  knowledge  of  the 
mental  conditions  belonging  to  the  age  wouM  kad  us 


38  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

to  expect,  since  the  fact  that  the  emotions  are  so  much 
more  developed  than  the  reason  makes  it  highly  un- 
likely that  any  choice  made  at  this  age  could  be  based 
on  any  real  appreciation  of  character,  or  stand  the 
test  of  time. 

Another  type  of  affection,  confined  usually  to  the 
years  between  twelve  and  seventeen,  is  the  passion- 
ate and  romantic  friendship  between  a  young  girl  and 
a  woman  some  years  older  than  herself.  These  at- 
tachments are  often  contemptuously  treated  by  parents 
and  guardians,  on  the  ground  that  they  are  unnatural 
and  therefore  likely  to  be  harmful  to  the  younger 
party,  an  unfortunate  idea,  for  they  are  often  most 
exquisite  in  their  nature  and  beneficial  in  their  effects. 
The  nature  of  their  influence  depends  upon  the  charac- 
ter of  the  older  woman.  If  it  is  a  fine  one,  her  in- 
fluence, which  for  the  time  being  is  unbounded,  will 
be  one  of  the  best  things  life  can  bestow.  The  self- 
consciousness  of  the  age  and  the  growth  of  the  in- 
dividual life  often  make  a  girl  impatient  of  home 
influences,  even  when  her  affection  for  them  is  un- 
changed. In  the  new  phase  of  existence  upon  which 
she  is  now  entering,  all  her  own  ideas  and  impressions 
are  new  to  her  and  even  her  own  personality,  now 
realized  for  the  first  time,  strikes  Ijer  with  surprise. 
It  is  not  strange  that  a  gulf  seems  fixed  between  her 
and  the  formulas  which  governed  her  childhood,  nor 
that  in  this  period  of  transition,  when  everything  on 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  39 

her  mental  horizon  is  changing  around  her  like  a 
kaleidoscope,  she  should  feel  that  her  necessities  are 
better  understood  by  an  outsider,  who  from  her 
point  of  view,  is  not  hampered  by  preconceived  opin- 
ions. For  one  peculiarity  of  the  emotional  period  is 
that  every  girl  believes  her  experience  to  be  unique 
while  it  lasts.  Careful  study  of  many  cases  shows 
that  they  are  all  alike  as  far  as  the  main  char- 
acteristics are  concerned,  but  it  is  only  in  later  life  that 
this  fact  can  be  perceived  by  the  chief  figure.  It  is 
quite  natural,  therefore,  that  a  girl  should  believe  her- 
self best  understood  by  a  stranger,  and  wise  parents 
will  accept  the  situation  as  one  of  the  necessities  of 
growth. 

Everything  depends,  however,  upon  the  character  of 
the  older  party  in  the  friendship.  If  she  does  not 
grasp  the  situation  and  use  her  influence  with  tact 
and  discretion,  the.  younger  may  lose  her  self-reliance 
and  individuality,  even  though  the  influence  is  other- 
wise good  and  sincere.  And'  if  the  older  woman  is 
really  undeserving  of  confidence,  much  graver  injury 
to  character  will  result.  The  influence  of  a  really  bad 
woman,  upon  a  young  and  plastic  mind,  at  a  time  when 
impressions  are  most  easily  received,  may  ruin  a  whole 
life;  and  even,  when  the  defects  are  confined  to  weak- 
ness, selfishness,  or  vulgarity,  a  great  deal  of  harm 
is  possible.  A  girl  may*  regain  her  freedom  of  judg- 
ment and,  after  a  time,  see  clearly  how  mistaken  she 


40  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

was  in  her  youthful  confidence  and  affection,  but  even 
if  her  principles  escape  unharmed,  a  certain  amount 
of  injury  to  taste  is  almost  unavoidable.  If  parents 
have  reason  to  think  the  influence  undesirable,  but 
not  actually  objectionable,  the  friendship  had  better 
be  dissolved  as  gently  and  indirectly  as  possible.  For 
it  must  be  remembered  that  the  girl's  affection  is  sin- 
cere and  intense,  and  that,  for  the  moment,  she  is  not 
capable  of  understanding  the  objections,  though  she 
will  do  so  eventually.  Hence  direct  and  determined 
opposition  will  not  only  cause  her  great  suffering,  but 
for  the  time  being,  impair  her  confidence  in  her  par- 
ents. Yet  if  the  parents  are  assured  that  the  older 
woman  is  really  one  who  has  lost  general  respect,  the 
friendship  had  better  be  broken  without  loss  of  time, 
at  any  cost  of  trouble  or  heart-burning. 

Closely  akin  to  this  type  of  affection  is  that  known 
as  hero-worship,  which  is  really  devotion  to  the  ideal. 
One  of  the  writers  on  adolescent  affection  says  with 
great  clearness  of  observation,  that  "  in  certain  phases 
of  adolescent  emotion,  affection  seems  to  exist  in  a 
diffused  state  and  attach  itself  to  some  real  or  im- 
aginary individual,  whom  the  alembics  of  youthful 
fancy  transforms  into  the  highest  ideal."  It  is  the 
peculiarity  of  this  form  of  affection  that  an  imaginary 
object  answers  the  purpose  as  well  as  a  real  one;  in- 
deed, it  seems  with  girls,  at  any  rate,  as  if  an  im- 
aginary one  were  preferred.  All  that  is  needed  is 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  41 

some  heroic  action  or  some  inspiring  quality  of  heart 
or  head  to  serve  as  a  focus  for  the  diffused  emotion. 
An  inquiry  into  the  nature  of  the  ideals  in  a  num- 
ber of  these  cases  has  shown  them  to  be  rarely  un- 
worthy ;  indeed,  it  throws  a  pleasant  light  upon  youth- 
ful human  nature,  to  find  that  the  objects  of  hero- 
worship  are  almost  always  noble  and  refined.  This 
being  the  case,  the  only  harm  that  can  possibly  arise 
from  an  attack  of  it,  is  absorption  to  such  a  degree 
that  legitimate  claims  and  duties  are  neglected,  while, 
on  the  other  side  the  stimulus  given  to  character  in 
process  of  formation  by  devotion  to  a  high  ideal,  real 
or  imaginary,  is  a  great  gain. 

Next  to  affection,  the  commonest  form  of  emotional 
disturbance  in  youth,  and  also  the  most  powerful,  is 
religious  excitement.  Inquiry  into  this  phase  shows 
that  toward  the  end  of  actual  childhood,  that  is  to  say, 
between  eight  and  twelve,  there  is  a  period  when  the 
mind  becomes  conscious  that  henceforward  the  con- 
duct of  life  must  be  ruled  from  within  and  not  from 
without,  and  with  this  perception  comes  a  certain 
amount  of  mental  disturbance  which  may  be  either 
religious  or  moral.  This  phase  lasts  but  a  short  time 
and  is  over  by  the  time  the  period  of  rapid  physical 
growth  begins.  It  belongs,  therefore,  entirely  to  child- 
hood and  would  hardly  call  for  mention  here,  were  it 
not  the  prelude  to  more  developed  excitement  a  few 
years  later. 


42  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

The  latter  disturbance  usually  appears  in  girls  be- 
tween thirteen  and  sixteen,  the  most  common  age  be- 
ing about  fifteen.  The  latent  spiritual  feeling  which 
it  represents  has  been  developing  for  a  long  time  un- 
known to  the  subject  of  it,  until  it  is  suddenly  roused 
into  activity  by  some  external  influence,  such  as  a 
sermon,  a  conversation  with  a  friend  or  a  stranger, 
or,  in  some  cases,  a  passage  in  a  book.  Whatever 
form  it  may  assume,  it  is  the  spark  falling  upon  a 
train  prepared  for  it,  for  the  spiritual  influence  which 
has  been  stirring  within  needs  only  the  right  stimulus 
to  become  overwhelming,  a  fact  which  explains  why 
an  impulse  that  often  seems  quite  inadequate,  can 
arouse  feelings  of  such  intensity.  In  other  instances 
the  awakening  takes  place  quietly  and  spontaneously 
without  any  excitement  whatever,  and  the  subject  is 
unable  to  say  why  the  consciousness  of  religious  emo- 
tion should  suddenly  appear,  though  the  fact  that  it 
has  done  so  is  plain,  and  the  circumstances  attending 
it  make  such  an  impression  that  they  are  never  for- 
gotten. 

Whatever  the  outward  form  of  expression  may  be, 
there  is  hardly  any  girl  who  passes  through  the  transi- 
tion between  childhood  and  womanhood  without  an 
awakening  to  religious  life  of  some  description.  The 
reason  for  this  is  probably  that  all  children  are  nat- 
urally religious  and  most  of  them  are  religiously 
taught;  the  idea  of  religion,  therefore,  is  firmly  im- 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  43 

planted  in  their  minds  and  accepted  as  a  matter  of 
course.  But  with  the  growth  of  emotion  and  of  in- 
dependent thought,  it  suddenly  presents  itself  as  ^ 
principle  which  must  be  thought  out  in  company  with 
other  new  perceptions  and  ideas.  It  has  been  rather 
the  custom  to  associate  the  religious  sensibility  of 
youth  with  the  excitement  attending  the  establishment 
of  the  function  of  sex;  but  those  who  have  studied 
the  subject  most  recently  incline  to  the  belief  that, 
with  girls  at  any  rate,  the  connection  between  the  two 
states  is  nothing  more  than  must  exist  between  any 
two  emotional  conditions  at  a  period  when  there  is 
great  mental  unstability. 

The  spiritual  awakening  having  once  taken  place,  it 
is  followed  by  a  period  of  disturbance  which  may  as- 
sume one  of  several  forms.  One  of  these,  which  some 
persons  consider  the  most  frequent,  is  that  of  religious 
doubt,  the  objects  of  skepticism  being  usually  dogmas 
or  creeds,  as  for  example,  the  inspiration  of  the  Bible, 
the  existence  of  God,  the  divinity  of  Christ,  the  doc- 
trines of  immortality  and  atonement.  Sometimes  the 
disbelief  begins  with  some  one  of  God's  attributes, 
as  His  mercy,  justice  or  love,  and  then  having  started 
with  one  in  particular,  advances  gradually  from  one 
attribute  to  another  until  it  is  complete. 

Some  persons  have  assumed  that  the  fact  of  doubt 
appearing  so  frequently  with  the  first  stages  of  in- 
dependent thought  is  evidence  that  the  doubting  attri- 


44  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

bute  in  religion  is  a  natural  one,  but  this  is  a  great 
mistake.  It  is  an  even  greater  error  to  consider  such 
doubts  a  manifestation  of  atheism  and  treat  the  sub- 
ject of  them  as  a  willful  unbeliever.  The  explanation 
of  the  phase  is  to  be  found,  as  in  most  disturbances 
of  the  period,  in  the  birth  of  self -consciousness  and  the 
growth  of  independent  thought,  which  arouse  a  crav- 
ing for  absolute  truth,  the  girl  not  realizing  that  much 
of  what  she  would  like  to  know  can  only  be  under- 
stood through  the  experience  of  life,  or,  it  may  be, 
can  never  be  known  at  all.  The  capacity  to  accept 
uncertainty  on  important  abstract  questions  comes  only 
with  maturity;  youth  is  confident  of  its  own  ability 
to  understand  all  mysteries  and  all  knowledge,  and 
cannot  believe  that  an  answer  to  earnest  inquiry  is 
ever  impossible. 

As  soon  as  the  mind  awakens  to  religious  inquiry, 
the  beliefs  hitherto  accepted  without  question,  sud- 
denly present  themselves  for  fresh  and  independent 
judgment.  They  are  tried  in  the  balance  of  indi- 
vidual opinion,  but  before  any  decision  can  be  reached, 
there  is  almost  always  a  period  of  suspense  and  fer- 
ment. As  the  years  go  on  and  the  intellect  develops 
sufficiently  to  balance  the  emotions,  judgment  is 
formed,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  the  girl  returns 
to  her  former  articles  of  belief,  generally  in  a  recon- 
structed form.  There  are  always  a  few  cases,  how- 
ever, which  decide  for  positive  unbelief  in  one  form  or 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  45 

another,  but  the  unbelief  often  disappears  in  its  turn, 
with  the  experience  of  years. 

When  the  excitement  following  spiritual  awaken- 
ing is  not  accompanied  by  doubt,  it  usually  takes  the 
form  of  a  sense  of  imperfection,  accompanied  by  rest- 
lessness, anxiety,  depression,  and  doubt  of  God's  for- 
giveness or  the  genuine  character  of  its  own  re- 
pentance. This  is  the  condition  known  as  the  "  con- 
viction of  sin  "  in  which  the  consciousness  of  imper- 
fection is  always  the  central  feature,  while  the  feelings 
accompanying  it  vary  according  to  individual  tem- 
perament and  education. 

The  state  of  religious  distress  continues  for  a  longer 
or  shorter  period  and  then  yields  to  a  sense  of  forgive- 
ness and  peace,  brought  about  by  both  conscious  and 
unconscious  causes.  This  is  the  state  of  mind  known 
as  conversion.  It  is  sometimes  accompanied  by  great 
excitement,  which  under  special  conditions  and  mis- 
management may  become  hysterical ;  in  other  instances 
the  chief  feature  of  it  is  a  yielding  up  of  the  will  fol- 
lowed by  joy  and  peace.  The  cases  in  which  the  spir- 
itual awakening  is  spontaneous  and  peaceful,  without 
any  period  of  ferment  or  distress,  do  not  experience 
any  process  of  active  conversion. 

Whatever  form  the  spiritual  disturbance  assumes, 
it  is  almost  always  followed  by  great  religious  activity 
of  one  kind  or  another.  Some  girls  are  possessed 
with  a  consuming  desire  for  attendance  upon  religious 


46  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

services,  or  for  hearing  sermons  by  emotional  preach- 
ers; others  are  consumed  with  a  burning  zeal  for  do- 
ing good  to  others  or  testifying  to  their  belief  in  and 
out  of  season,  while  still  another  class  spends  hours 
in  private  devotion,  sometimes  to  the  neglect  of  other 
duties.  Whatever  form  the  activity  may  take,  it  is 
hardly  ever  in  moderation. 

It  is  often  a  nice  question  for  parents  who  are 
watching  a  daughter  pass  through  this  period  of  re- 
ligious ferment,  how  far  the  emotion  of  the  moment 
ought  to  be  encouraged  to  express  itself  formally  in 
the  shape  of  an  open  profession  or  a  pledge.  The 
wish  for  such  action  is  the  natural  outcome  of  intense 
excitement  seeking  definite  expression  and  most  girls 
are  ardently  desirous  of  some  such  step,  whether  it 
take  the  form  of  the  rite  of  confirmation,  of  adult  bap- 
tism, or  a  formal  "  joining  the  church."  The  objec- 
tion to  such  a  step  lies,  of  course,  in  the  possibility 
that  when  the  excitement  of  the  transition  from  girl 
to  woman  is  over  and  the  calmness  of  maturity  is 
reached,  it  may  be  the  subject  of  regret,  since  it  holds 
her  committed  to  opinions  which  may  not  then  be  ap- 
proved by  her  judgment.  On  the  other  hand  it  may 
be  argued  that  it  is  wise  to  secure  a  definite  committal 
at  this  time,  just  because  it  may  be  impossible  later  on. 
The  question  must,  of  course,  be  decided  for  itself  in 
every  case ;  but  one  thing  is  quite  certain,  namely,  that 
those  in  authority  are  never  justified  in  taking  ad- 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  47 

vantage  of  the  excitable  and  unstable  condition  of  .the 
mind  at  this  period  to  exert  pressure  toward  a  pledge 
of  any  kind,  nor  in  stimulating  religious  feeling  be- 
yond its  spontaneous  limit.  In  the  first  place  the  sus- 
ceptible condition  of  the  nervous  system  at  this  time 
may  make  forced  pressure  actually  dangerous,  and 
the  result  may  be  hysteria  or  neurasthenia.  This  is 
the  dangerous  side  of  revivals.  But  equally  injurious 
and  much  more  common,  is  the  forcing  an  artifi- 
cial state  of  mind,  in  which  the  girl  imagines  that  she 
feels  more  than  is  really  the  case.  Then,  when  her 
reason  develops  and  she  realizes  where  she  actually 
stands,  she  will  be  antagonized  toward  religious  be- 
lief altogether.  Many  a  young  mind  has  been  warped 
by  this  kind  of  treatment. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  religious  disturbance, 
whether  it  is  doubt,  depression,  or  anxiety,  passes  be- 
yond any  reasonable  boundaries.  In  such  a  case  a 
girl  cannot  sleep,  she  loses  her  appetite,  and  lives  under 
a  dark  cloud  of  gloom  and  self-reproach.  The  belief 
in  having  committed  the  unpardonable  sin,  which  in 
old  times  caused  such  fearful  misery,  was  one  man- 
ifestation of  this  condition,  that  fortunately  is  now 
rarely  seen.  Such  cases  are  almost  always  due  to 
physical  weakness;  indeed  it  is  hardly  too  much  to 
say  that  they  are  always  so,  whether  the  failure  is 
one  of  general  health  or  some  special  disturbance  of 
the  nervous  system. 


48  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

A  perfect  description  of  such  a  case  is  that  of  John 
Bunyan's  religious  experiences,  as  given  by  himself  in 
"  Grace  Abounding  " ;  the  interpretation  of  his  feel- 
ings on  a  physical  basis  having  been  supplied,  in  re- 
cent years,  by  a  well-known  psychologist.1 

Religious  consolation  and  advice  in  such  a  case  is 
worse  than  useless  unless  it  is  accompanied  by  physical 
care,  but  it  is  not  always  well  to  exclude  discussion 
on  religious  subjects  altogether,  for  the  patient  then 
begins  to  think  that  those  around  her  are  out  of  sym- 
pathy with  her  condition  and  state  of  mind,  and 
nothing  is  so  important  as  that  her  confidence  should 
be  preserved.  Usually  these  cases  are  perfectly  un- 
mistakable, but  if  there  is  any  uncertainty  whether 
the  doubt  or  depression  passes  over  the  normal  line, 
the  point  can  be  settled  by  observing  the  effect  of  an 
assurance  that  no  anxiety  or  care  need  be  felt,  given 
by  someone  in  whom  full  confidence  is  reposed.  If 
the  mind  is  normal,  there  will  be  relief,  at  any  rate 
for  a  time,  but  if  the  condition  is  a  morbid  one,  the 
assurance  will  have  no  effect. 

One  abnormal  condition  practically  confined  to  girl- 
hood, is  the  extreme  form  of  homesickness,  profes- 
sionally known  as  nostalgia.  The  ordinary  type  of 
homesickness,  which  hardly  any  of  us  has  escaped,  is 
not  important  enough  to  come  under  this  head.  But 
occasionally, —  usually  when  there  is  a  defective  nerv- 

1 "  The  Case  of  John  Bunyan,"  by  Josiah  Royce. 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  49 

ous  system, —  separation  from  home  and  accustomed 
surroundings  is  followed  by  a  distress  so  acute  and  so 
profound  that  the  victim  cannot  eat  nor  sleep,  and 
unless  it  is  relieved,  the  health  fails  altogether.  One 
striking  peculiarity  of  the  condition,  which  is  wanting 
in  the  common  form  of  homesickness,  is  that  the  crav- 
ing seems  to  be  for  the  home  itself  and  for  the  accus- 
tomed environment,  not  for  the  persons  belonging  to 
it,  and  the  companionship  of  relatives  at  a  distance, 
or  even  the  establishment  of  the  conditions  of  home, 
gives  no  relief. 

An  interesting  case  of  nostalgia  in  its  typical  form 
is  that  of  the  two  sisters,  Charlotte  and  Emily  Bronte, 
who  in  early  girlhood  left  their  lonely  home  in  the 
moorlands  to  study  in  Brussels.  Charlotte,  by  a  great 
effort  of  will,  managed  to  remain  away  for  the  ap- 
pointed time,  though  she  was  never  well  or  even  mod- 
erately happy ;  but  Emily,  whose  temperament  was  ex- 
tremely morbid,  was  so  seriously  ill  that  it  was  neces- 
sary to  send  her  home  again. 

Genuine  cases  of  nostalgia  are  rare,  but  they  do 
sometimes  occur,  especially  in  boarding  schools. 
Generally  if  a  girl  can  be  carried  through  a  few  weeks 
by  means  of  her  own  will  and  the  sympathy  of  those 
in  charge  of  her,  she  will  recover;  but  if  the  condi- 
tion persists  and  her  general  health  begins  to  fail, 
there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  send  her  home. 

Hysteria   is  a   nervous   condition   not   peculiar  to 


50  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

youth,  but  much  more  frequent  then  than  at  'any 
other  time.  Exactly  what  the  nature  of  it  is  we  do 
not  know.  So  far  as  appearances  are  concerned  it  is 
characterized  by  involuntary  imitation  of  the  symp- 
toms of  some  kind  of  disease,  and  this  imitation,  which 
would  be  impossible  to  any  voluntary  effort,  even  that 
of  the  cleverest  mimic,  is  carried  on  perfectly  through 
the  subconscious  mind.  The  term  "  hysteria  "  is  some- 
times applied  to  cases  of  deliberate  imposture,  and 
also  (from  carelessness)  to  almost  any  condition 
which  is  not  at  once  understood  and  seems  to  the  by- 
standers unreasonable.  But  every  year  shows  more 
plainly  that  the  various  manifestations  of  hysteria  are 
due  to  some  actual  disease,  though  we  do  not  as  yet 
know  what  that  disease  is. 

The  typical  severe  forms  of  hysteria,  with  convul- 
sive seizures,  epileptic  symptoms,  and  other  violent 
manifestations,  are  extremely  rare  in  this  country. 
Among  French  women,  whose  nervous  temperament 
is  very  unstable,  they  are  not  uncommon.  The  milder 
forms,  such  as  we  see  here,  usually  appear  as  uncon- 
trollable fits  of  crying  or  laughing,  or  both  together,  a 
choking  sensation  in  the  throat,  and  great  lack  of  self- 
control.  In  more  severe  cases  there  is  imitation  of 
symptoms  which  have  been  read  of,  or  overheard  in 
the  conversation  of  others.  It  is  strongly  hereditary, 
about  seventy  per  cent  of  cases  being  inherited,  though, 
like  other  nervous  affections,  the  nervous  defect  may 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  51 

have  shown  itself  under  another  form  in  the  previous 
generation. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  thing  to  be  remembered 
in  everyday  life  about  hysteria  is  that  we  are  not  justi- 
fied in  using  the  word  in  the  same  sense  as  imaginary, 
and  dismissing  an  ailment  as  hysterical  because  we  do 
not  understand  it  and  therefore  do  not  more  than  half 
believe  in  it.  Even  if  it  is  characterized  by  imitation 
of  symptoms  belonging  to  diseases  which  are  known 
not  to  be  present,  the  underlying  hysterical  condition 
is  none  the  less  present  and  real.  The  careless  and 
unwarranted  use  of  the  word  "  hysterical "  is  respon- 
sible for  a  great  deal  of  cruelty. 

The  most  serious  of  all  mental  disturbances,  of 
course,  is  insanity.  In  the  very  early  years  of  girl- 
hood, it  is  rare,  but  a  little  later,  that  is  to  say,  from 
eighteen  to  twenty-one,  it  is  not  uncommon,  a  fact 
which  is  not  surprising  when  we  remember  the  excita- 
bility of  the  brain  at  this  period.  The  element  of  in- 
heritance enters  into  it  strongly,  in  fact,  insanity  of 
youth  is  the  most  hereditary  of  all  insanities,  probably 
because  youth  is  the  time  when  all  inherited  qualities 
are  especially  liable  to  appear.  Still  another  influence 
which  favors  the  appearance  of  insanity  in  youth  is 
the  excitement  attending  the  establishment  of  the  sex- 
ual function. 

Insanity  in  girlhood  may  take  either  of  the  two 
great  forms  which  characterize  it  in  later  life,  namely, 


52  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

mania  or  melancholia.  In  both  cases  there  are  de- 
lusions of  persecution,  the  imaginary  persecutor  being 
usually  a  friend  or  a  relative.  Sometimes  the  patient 
thinks  she  will  be  robbed  or  put  into  prison  unjustly, 
or  have  her  home  burned.  In  other  cases  there  is 
simple  depression,  without  any  definite  idea.  Illu- 
sions, that  is  to  say,  false  impressions  connected  with 
the  senses,  such  as  imaginary  odors,  visions  or  sounds, 
are  not  so  common  as  in  older  insanity. 

In  other  cases  no  definite  idea  exists  and  there  is 
simple  melancholia  without  assignable  reason,  or  else 
bursts  of  excitement  with  hysterical  symptoms. 
Sometimes  a  patient  who  has  apparently  been  uncon- 
scious of  all  that  was  passing  around  her,  will  show 
afterwards  that  she  was  aware  of  every  word,  and 
that  her  condition  must  have  been  largely  feigned. 

It  would  not  be  profitable  to  discuss  the  various 
manifestations  of  youthful  insanity  at  length,  but  there 
are  a  few  peculiarities  of  it  which  it  may  be  desirable 
to  mention.  The  idea  of  suicide  is  often  present,  but 
it  rarely  takes  active  expression  as  it  does  in  later 
life.  In  fact,  it  seems  as  if  the  impulse  to  self-de- 
struction in  youthful  insanity  is  usually  hysterical,  be- 
ing intended  to  deceive  the  bystanders  and  excite  their 
sympathies.  It  is  not,  as  in  older  persons,  a  real 
desire  to  take  life.  There  is  more  or  less  disturbance 
of  menstruation,  usually  of  the  nature  of  suppression, 
and  the  mental  condition  is  always  worse  at  the  time 


MENTAL  DISTURBANCES  53 

of  the  periods,  or  shortly  before  they  appear.  Friends 
and  relatives  are  apt  to  think  that  the  mental  condi- 
tion is  the  result  of  the  suppression,  but  the  truth  is 
that  both  are  manifestations  of  some  general  dis- 
turbance belonging  to  the  period  of  life.  The  prospect 
of  recovery  from  youthful  insanity  is  good,  much  bet- 
ter than  in  later  life;  in  fact  it  is  more  hopeful  than 
in  any  other  form  of  mental  derangement.  Eighty 
per  cent  of  recoveries  are  given  by  one  authority. 
There  may  be  several  relapses,  however,  before  recov- 
ery finally  sets  in. 

The  treatment  of  all  such  cases  belongs,  of  course, 
to  the  physician,  and  any  case  showing  symptoms  of 
insanity  ought  to  be  placed  in  his  hands  without  delay. 
The  matter  of  prevention,  however,  lies  largely  in  the 
hands  of  relatives,  and  a  good  deal  can  be  done  in  this 
line.  Whenever  an  insane  inheritance  is  known  or 
suspected,  a  special  watch  must  be  kept  over  a  girl 
during  girlhood  and  the  few  years  preceding  it.  Men- 
tal excitement  and  over-pressure  in  study  must  be 
avoided  with  the  utmost  care,  but  on  the  other  hand 
constant  occupation  of  a  congenial  kind  is  a  necessity, 
for  nothing  is  so  likely  to  favor  a  latent  tendency  to 
mental  derangement  as  introspection  and  self-analy- 
sis, which  always  arises  when  the  thoughts  have  noth- 
ing to  keep  them  occupied.  Disturbances  of  men- 
struation in  girls  with  such  an  inheritance  should  re- 
ceive more  attention  than  would  be  necessary  in  girls 


54  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

without  it,  and  any  symptoms  of  hysteria  or  undue 
excitement,  either  with  the  periods  or  at  other  times, 
must  receive  prompt  attention.  Above  all  there  must 
be  abundance  of  sleep  and  nothing  should  be  allowed 
to  interfere  with  the  night's  rest.  Insomnia,  if  it 
should  appear,  must  never  be  neglected.  In  all  actions 
and  events  of  life  it  must  be  remembered  that  cases 
where  an  insane  inheritance  exists  cannot  take  liber- 
ties with  health,  and  that  slight  risks  in  the  way  of 
excitement,  pressure  or  fatigue,  which  a  normal  girl, 
for  sufficient  reason,  might  assume,  ought  never  to  be 
allowed  in  a  case  where  there  is  reason  to  fear  insan- 
ity. 


CHAPTER  III 

MORAL  DISTURBANCES   OF   GIRLHOOD 

Association  of  mental  and  moral  disturbance  —  Sense  of 
personal  freedom  —  Exaggerated  conscience  —  Abolition 
of  moral  sense  —  Bad  temper  —  Untruthfulness  —  Dis- 
honesty—  Kleptomania  —  Debt  —  Use  of  bad  language  — 
Failure  of  will  power  —  Review  of  principal  points  in 
disturbances  of  girlhood. 

THERE  is  no  real  difference  between  the  mental  and 
moral  disturbances  of  girlhood,  or  rather,  to  speak 
more  exactly,  moral  disturbances  are  actually  mental 
changes  which  find  expression  through  the  moral  na- 
ture. For  the  sake  of  convenience,  however,  it  seems 
best  to  consider  them  separately.  The  development  of 
self-consciousness,  which  underlies  the  mental  changes 
of  girlhood,  finds  expression  morally  in  a  desire  for 
personal  freedom,  before  unknown.  To  a  child  right 
conduct  is  represented  by  obedience.  A  normal, 
healthy  little  girl  does  not  trouble  herself  as  to  ab- 
stract questions  of  right  or  wrong  and  feels  no  moral 
responsibility  beyond  the  fulfillment  of  duties  laid 
down  for  her  by  her  parents.  But  when  she  reaches 
the  age  when  the  brain  cells  begin  to  establish  con- 
nections in  every  direction,  the  process  of  thinking 

55 


56  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

for  herself,  which  leads,  on  the  emotional  side,  to  re- 
ligious excitement,  shows  itself  on  the  side  of  the 
reason  by  activity  of  the  moral  sense  and  sometimes 
by  eccentricity  of  conduct. 

I  do  not  propose  to  discuss  the  graver  moral  de- 
linquencies which  come  under  the  head  of  law-break- 
ing, for  their  presence  shows  that  the  offender  is  suf- 
fering from  the  pernicious  effects  of  defective  train- 
ing and  poor  environment,  or  else  that  she  has  in- 
herited criminal  tendencies;  and  in  either  case  she 
belongs  to  the  specialist  in  child  reformation.  What 
we  need  to  consider  here  are  the  peculiarities  that  ap- 
pear in  almost  all  girls  at  some  point  between  twelve 
and  twenty-one,  and  then  disappear  with  the  estab- 
lishment of  maturity  and  the  subsidence  of  emotional 
disturbance. 

These  peculiarities  of  conduct  may  be  for  better 
or  for  worse,  that  is  to  say,  they  may  take  the  form 
of  a  morbid  exaggeration  of  what  is  right  or  of  a 
departure  from  it.  In  a  girl  who  has  inherited  good 
moral  instincts  and  received  a  careful  training  based 
upon  principle,  the  new  sense  of  personal  freedom  and 
individual  responsibility  sometimes  shows  itself  in  a 
morbid  conscientiousness,  assuming  one  form  or  an- 
other according  to  temperament  and  circumstance. 

An  exaggerated  altruism,  or  love  of  others,  is  a  fre- 
quent manifestation.  Under  its  influence  a  girl  will 
imagine  herself  called  upon  to  make  some  fanatical 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  57 

self-sacrifice.  Sometimes  the  impulse  takes  the  form 
of  renunciation  and  under  the  stimulus  of  this  morbid 
craving  for  self-immolation,  she  will  give  up  every 
claim  that  she  considers  worldly  or  accept  the  most 
unwholesome  and  unattractive  duties  and  surround- 
ings, which  ten  years  later,  when  her  moral  equilib- 
rium is  reached,  she  would  make  every  effort  to  change 
for  the  better;  or,  if  that  should  be  impossible,  to  es- 
cape from  altogether.  This  impulse  towards  self-sac- 
rifice is  one  element  in  the  condition  of  self -surrender 
which  combined  with  religious  excitement  creates  the 
condition  known  as  conversion. 

Sometimes  the  perverted  moral  sense  takes  the  form 
of  thinking  all  pleasure  wrong,  because  it  distracts 
the  mind  from  serious  things,  or  even  simply  because 
it  is  pleasant.  In  other  instances  there  is  a  craving 
for  exertion,  which  prompts  the  subject  of  it  to  un- 
dertake many  new  and  sometimes  unnecessary  duties, 
such  as  teaching  in  Sunday  School,  helping  in  boys' 
clubs,  or  mothers'  meetings,  or  sewing  circles.  But 
however  proper  the  undertaking  may  be  in  itself,  the 
conscience  is  never  satisfied  that  all  possible  exertion 
has  been  made  or  that  the  results  are  all  that  they 
should  be. 

Another  form  of  expression  is  that  in  which  a  girl 
cannot  be  satisfied  if  she  has  done  wrong  without 
confessing  the  fault  to  someone,  sometimes  because 
confession  is  good  for  trr»  soul,  and  in  other  cases  be- 


58  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

cause  she  cannot  be  satisfied  without  the  assurance  of 
pardon.  Not  infrequently  when  she  does  confess  the 
fault  she  exaggerates  its  importance  to  an  extent  that 
is  absurd,  like  the  little  Sister  of  Charity  in  Miss  Wool- 
son's  tale  who  accused  herself  of  murderous  rage 
because  she  chastised  the  cat  with  a  palm  branch  when 
it  had  broken  her  flower  pot.  Another  variety  of 
exaggerated  conscience  is  that  which  invents  an  im- 
aginary ethical  situation  and  then  argues  as  to  the 
question  of  right  and  wrong  involved  in  it.  Still  an- 
other phase  is  literal  verbal  accuracy,  in  which  a  girl 
is  miserable  because  she  has  said  she  heard  carriage 
wheels,  when  they  may  have  been  the  wheels  of  a 
cart,  or  that  she  thought  a  thing  was  so,  when  she  had 
better  have  said  she  believed  it. 

It  is  very  important  not  to  stimulate  this  morbid- 
condition.  There  is  no  danger  that  a  conscience  of 
this  description  will  become  lax;  the  great  thing  to  be 
feared  is  that  it  will  be  finical,  and  every  effort  must 
be  made  to  induce  the  victim  to  take  a  sane  view  of 
things.  Physical  causes  are  often  concerned  in  this 
moral  unhappiness,  just  as  they  are  in  religious  de- 
pression, and  for  both  the  cure  lies  in  a  healthy  life 
with  abundance  of  sleep. 

At  the  other  extreme  from  this  exaggeration  of  the 
moral  sense  are  the  cases  where  the  moral  sense  for 
the  time  being  is  diminished  or  even  lost.  The  most 
frequent  form  of  moral  weakness  in  adolescence  is  bad 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  59 

temper,  whether  it  takes  the  form  of  violent  anger, 
of  sulkiness,  of  revenge  fulness,  or  of  general  irrita- 
bility. Here  again  physical  causes  play  a  considerable 
part,  for  often  the  nervous  system  just  at  this  age  is 
so  excitable  and  over-charged  that  the  most  trivial 
things,  such  as  a  teasing  glance,  or  a  well-meant  but 
ill-judged  word  will  cause  an  explosion.  It  is  wrong 
to  judge  a  girl  too  severely  for  conduct  of  this  kind, 
since  she  is  not  responsible  for  the  emotional  condi- 
tion peculiar  to  her  age;  but  it  is  very  necessary  to 
make  her  realize  the  dangers  of  yielding  to  it,  for  the 
habit  of  bad  temper  is  one  easily  formed  and  hard 
to  break.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  watch  a  case  in  which 
irritability  of  any  kind  seems  to  be  developing,  so  as 
to  find  out  how  far  it  is  affected  by  physical  fatigue. 
If  it  is  worse  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  fatigue  of  the 
day  is  beginning  to  be  felt,  if  it  is  increased  by  exer- 
tion or  excitement,  and  especially  if  it  is  increased  at 
the  monthly  periods,  it  may  be  safely  set  down  to 
bodily  weakness.  The  treatment  must  lie  in  adjusting 
physical  conditions,  in  removing  or  forestalling  causes 
of  offense,  and,  above  all,  in  enlisting  the  girl's  efforts 
in  her  own  service  and  teaching  her  to  control  herself. 
Explain  to  her  how  great  will  be  the  injury  to  her 
future  if  the  habit  of  bad  temper  is  formed,  and  show 
her  how  easy  it  is,  comparatively,  to  control  herself, 
if  she  makes  the  effort  in  the  very  beginning  before 
she  has  begun  to  yield  to  the  angry  influence. 


60  CTRL  AND  WOMAN 

Untruthfulness  is  another  common  fault  of  youth, 
sometimes  appearing  in  a  girl  who  has  hitherto  been 
truth  itself.  It  assumes  various  forms,  not  all  of 
which  can  be  characterized  as  deceit,  though  they  are 
certainly  departures  from  truth.  The  commonest,  as 
well  as  the  most  interesting  of  the  latter,  is  that  in 
which  the  imagination  overpowers  the  sense  of  reality. 
It  is  the  same  mental  condition  as  that  in  which  young 
children  declare  they  have  met  with  lions  and  tigers, 
or  set  fire  to  houses,  or,  perhaps,  in  cases  where  the 
mind  is  naturally  commonplace,  describe  imaginary  in- 
cidents in  which  the  circumstances  are  of  everyday 
nature  but  have  had  no  existence.  The  only  difference 
in  the  delusions  of  later  years  is  that  the  imagination 
is  more  developed  and  the  consciousness  of  self  more 
intense. 

These  imaginative  states  are  generally  excited  by 
some  character  in  romance  or  history,  around  which 
the  imagination  plays,  and  they  often  contain  a  strong 
element  of  hero-worship.  A  girl  will  imagine  herself 
to  be  some  individual  of  whom  she  has  heard  or  read, 
as,  for  instance,  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots;  Elaine;  Peggy 
Stewart ;  or  it  may  be,  a  Red  Cross  Nurse.  The  illu- 
sion, whatever  it  may  be,  will  pervade  all  her  thoughts 
and  actions  while  it  lasts,  and  she  will  endure  consider- 
able discomfort  or  make  great  exertion  in  order  to 
sustain  it  with  dignity.  Fiametta,  in  Mrs.  Harker's 
charming  story,  "  A  Romance  of  the  Nursery  " ;  when 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  6l 

she  impersonated  Ellen  in  "  Home  Influence," — 
"  walking  with  drooping  head  and  downcast  eyes,  the 
antimacassar  draped  gracefully  about  her  cheeks  to 
represent  her  flowing  ringlets "  is  an  excellent  ex- 
ample. 

The  most  remarkable  thing  about  these  affairs  is 
the  relation  of  the  girl  herself  to  her  delusion.  She 
knows  perfectly  well,  of  course,  that  the  idea  in  pos- 
session of  her  is  the  work  of  her  own  imagination, 
but  this  knowledge  remains  in  a  subconscious  state  un- 
til it  is  called  into  active  existence  by  a  deliberate  ef- 
fort or  a  sudden  shock.  In  the  absence  of  any  ex- 
ternal stimulus,  she  lends  herself  to  the  delusion  and 
is  for  the  time  being  the  creature  of  her  own  imagina- 
tion. 

It  is  unwise  to  treat  these  affairs  too  seriously,  for 
there  is  no  deceit  in  them  in  the  real  sense  of  the  word. 
The  girl  does  not  "  practice  to  deceive,"  and  therefore 
to  tell  her  that  she  is  lending  herself  to  a  lie  and  is 
to  blame  in  the  same  sense,  if  not  in  the  same  degree, 
as  if  she  were  guilty  of  a  deliberate  imposture  is  doing 
her  a  great  injustice  and  may  end  by  seriously  confus- 
ing her  ideas  of  right  and  wrong.  Nor  is  it  right, 
so  it  seems  to  me,  to  treat  these  innocent  fancies  with 
contempt  or  derision.  The  advice,  sometimes  given, 
to  laugh  at  them  cannot  be  judicious,  for  it  will  cer- 
tainly cause  pain  and  may  result  in  their  being  car- 
ried on  secretly,  which  is  peculiarly  unfortunate  for 


62  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

it  is  evidence  that  the  girl's  trust  in  her  authorities 
has  been  shaken. 

The  whole  thing  ought  to  be  regarded  as  a  perfectly 
natural  phase  in  girlish  development.  At  this  time  in 
life,  the  mind  is  opening  every  day  to  new  sources  of 
knowledge  and  the  girl  is  continually  making  ac- 
quaintance with  interesting  personalities  in  history 
and  romance,  or,  it  may  be,  in  the  accounts  of  actual 
events.  At  the  same  time  the  self-consciousness  be- 
longing to  the  period  is  constantly  on  the  alert  to  seize 
occasions  for  its  gratification.  Is  it  surprising  that, 
under  these  conditions,  the  imagination,  always  ex- 
citable at  this  age,  even  in  girls  who  are  naturally 
commonplace,  should  seize  upon  some  romantic  or 
heroic  character  now  heard  of  for  the  first  time,  and 
invest  herself  with  its  personality  and  atmosphere? 
It  may  sometimes  be  necessary  to  take  measures  to 
keep  an  impulsive  girl  from  making  herself  ridicu- 
lous before  strangers  who  do  not  understand  her 
but  otherwise  it  is  surely  best  to  let  the  situation 
entirely  alone.  The  girl  who  passes  through  the  early 
years  of  youth  without  any  experience  of  the  kind 
is  really  less  normal  in  her  development  than  the  girl 
for  whom  it  exists  and  what  is  more  she  is  less  fortu- 
nate. The  phase  while  it  lasts  will  give  her  many 
happy  hours,  and  when  it  has  passed  away,  which  it 
does  spontaneously,  it  will  leave  her  in  possession  of 
delightful  memories. 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  63 

Another  variety  of  untruthfulness,  quite  different 
from  the  last,  is  that  which  comes  from  fear.  Prob- 
ably American  girls,  who  are  brought  up  from  in- 
fancy to  independence,  are  less  likely  to  fall  into  this 
form  of  error  than  their  contemporaries  in  other 
lands ;  still,  there  are  timid  girls  everywhere  who  may 
be  tempted  to  lie  to  escape  punishment.  Another  mo- 
tive, which  I  believe  to  be  more  common,  is  dread  of 
ridicule.  This  point  has  received  less  attention,  as  a 
cause  of  falsehood  than  it  deserves.  In  girlhood  the 
thoughts,  ambitions,  and  imaginations  are  exquisitely 
sensitive,  and  like  all  young  and  tender  growths  they 
are  easily  crushed  by  rough  usage.  Moreover  the 
feelings  are  much  quicker  than  they  are  in  later  life, 
and,  although  a  young  girl  has  still  to  learn  their  full 
depths,  she  feels  acutely  upon  matters  that  seem  trivial 
in  the  extreme  to  her  elders.  No  other  age  is  so  re- 
sponsive to  sympathy  or  so  hurt  and  repelled  by  con- 
tempt or  ridicule.  The  dread  of  being  "  made  fun 
of  "  on  a  subject  near  and  dear  to  her  will  cause  a 
girl  to  seek  protection  from  wounded  feeling  in  false- 
hood as  soon  or  sooner  than  the  fear  of  blame  or 
punishment. 

In  fact  ridicule  is  never  a  useful  or  safe  means  of 
dealing  with  girlhood.  The  sense  of  humor  is  almost 
entirely  absent  in  children  and  very  crude  and  unde- 
veloped in  youth,  which  always  takes  itself  with  the 
utmost  seriousness.  A  sneer,  a  laugh,  or  even  a  look 


64  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

of  good-natured  amusement  is  enough  to  give  deep 
offense,  or  to  check  the  sources  of  innocent  pleasure 
and  take  away  many  happy  hours,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  possibility  of  destroying  confidence  and  stimulat- 
ing deceit. 

Still  another  class  of  untruths  is  that  arising  from 
vanity  and  affectation.  "  Showing  off  "  is  one  of  the 
common  defects  of  the  age,  arising  naturally  from  its 
ever-present  self-consciousness,  and  girls  affected  by  it 
are  apt,  in  order  to  impress  others,  particularly  those 
younger  than  themselves,  to  say  anything  that  will 
serve  their  purpose  in  this  respect,  no  matter  whether 
it  is  true  or  false.  They  will  repeat  compliments  paid 
them  upon  their  appearance  by  boys  or  young  men,  or 
praises  of  their  proficiency  in  study  coming  from  their 
teachers,  which  are  wholly,  or  in  part  their  own  inven- 
tion. In  other  cases  they  boast  of  personal  posses- 
sions which  they  do  not  own,  or  of  accomplishments 
which  they  cannot  produce  when  occasion  offers.  If 
they  have  early  love  affairs  they  are  prone  to  deceive 
their  admirers  as  to  the  existence  of  previous  attach- 
ments, leading  them  to  suppose  there  were  no  others, 
or  else  boasting  of  their  number  and  importance.  No 
doubt  there  is  a  certain  amount  of  self-deception  in 
this  form  of  untruthfulness,  though  much  less  than  in 
the  imagination  of  personality,  but  the  worst  thing 
about  them  is  the  ugly  element  of  self-seeking  and 
vanity,  which  makes  it  necessary  to  treat  them  with 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  65 

more  or  less  severity.  Exposure  in  such  cases  often 
does  good.  If  a  girl  who  has  been  indulging  in  this 
form  of  falsehood  is  confronted  unexpectedly  with  the 
truth  in  the  presence  of  the  person  she  is  trying  to 
impose  upon,  it  is  a  most  useful  lesson.  But  what- 
ever form  of  treatment  is  adopted,  it  is  essential  that 
the  culprit  should  understand  she  is  blamed  for  the 
wrong  motives  behind  her  falsehood  quite  as  much 
as  for  the  falsehood  itself. 

Lies  told  with  deliberate  intention,  in  order  to  gain 
some  advantage  or  to  injure  someone  else,  are  usually 
associated  with  intrinsic  meanness  of  character  or  with 
motives  of  revenge.  They  are  met  with  under  vari- 
ous conditions.  A  girl  may  declare  herself  possessed 
of  qualities  or  attainments  which  she  knows  she  does 
not  own,  not,  as  in  the  case  just  mentioned,  from  the 
instinct  of  self-importance,  but  because  she  wishes  to 
gain  a  coveted  amusement  or  distinction;  or  she  may 
justify  herself  at  the  expense  of  an  innocent  compan- 
ion; or  circulate  a  story  which  she  knows  to  be  un- 
true in  order  to  injure  someone  against  whom  she  has 
a  grudge.  In  such  cases  the  moral  delinquency  lies, 
not  so  much  in  the  falsehood,  as  in  the  feelings  of 
envy,  hatred,  and  malice  by  which  it  is  prompted.  It 
is  of  no  use  to  blame  the  offender  for  deceit  and  pass 
over  the  underlying  faults  of  disposition. 

It  would  seem  as  if  a  really  bad  disposition  must 
exist  whenever  the  last  two  kinds  of  untruthfulness 


66  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

are  present,  but  happily  experience  shows  that  is  not 
by  any  means  always  the  case.  At  this  period  the 
moral  sense  seems  not  infrequently  to  be  abolished 
for  the  time  being,  by  reason  of  backwardness  of  de- 
velopment in  the  rational  faculties  upon  which  the 
ethical  sense  depends.  The  intellectual  qualities  of 
mind,  as  we  have  already  seen,  including  reason,  judg- 
ment, and  self-restraint,  always  develop  more  slowly 
and  reach  maturity  later  than  the  emotional  ones,  and 
if,  as  must  sometimes  happen,  the  difference  between 
their  growth  should  be  greater  than  customary,  the  in- 
dividual is  left  at  the  mercy  of  the  emotions  until 
reason  asserts  herself  and  will-power  is  developed.  Of 
course,  it  occasionally  happens  that  the  moral  equilib- 
rium is  never  attained,  and  then  we  have  the  moral 
delinquents  who  become  habitual  criminals  or  not,  ac- 
cording to  character  and  environment.  But  these  are 
the  exceptions,  which,  as  I  said  before,  belong  to  the 
consideration  of  specialists.  Under  normal  conditions 
the  lapse  of  moral  sense  at  this  period  is  a  transient 
phase  which  does  not  give  rise  to  any  grave  misde- 
meanors and  disappears  spontaneously  as  reason  as- 
serts itself. 

This  explanation  of  moral  delinquency  in  youth  is 
every  day  becoming  more  appreciated  by  those  inter- 
ested in  the  training  of  girls  and  boys,  and  it  is  for 
this  reason  that  such  persons  strive  so  earnestly  to 
establish  reformatories  where  those  who  offend 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  67 

against  the  law  during  this  state  of  moral  feebleness, 
or  who  cannot  be  controlled  by  their  friends,  may  be 
sent  for  a  few  years  until  their  moral  nature  has 
reached  its  proper  development.  To  treat  such  cases 
as  criminal  is  the  height  of  injustice  and  unkindness, 
to  say  nothing  of  its  being  the  surest  way  of  turning 
the  unfortunates  into  habitual  offenders. 

Dishonesty  in  girls  or  young  women  is  generally 
found  among  those  who  are  in  want  of  necessities,  or 
of  what  might  be  called  lawful  indulgences.  The 
craving  for  pleasure  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of 
youth,  the  appreciation  of  it  being  keener  at  that  time 
than  it  was  before  or  will  ever  be  again.  But  with 
the  putting  away  of  childish  things  the  simple  pleas- 
ures, which  formerly  furnished  all  that  heart  could 
desire,  suddenly  lose  their  savor,  and  as  the  mind 
opens  and  knowledge  increases  all  kinds  of  new  pos- 
sibilities in  the  way  of  enjoyment  suggest  themselves. 
When  legitimate  means  of  indulging  these  longings 
are  wanting,  it  is  not  strange  that  the  temptation  to 
find  ways  and  means  should  sometimes  be  too  much 
for  the  unstable  moral  sense  of  the  period.  Theft  of 
such  a  kind  cannot  be  classed  with  the  worst  forms  of 
dishonesty,  and  when  it  is  committed  for  actual  neces- 
sities, such  as  food,  we  must  naturally  feel  that  the 
fault  lies  with  a  state  of  society  in  which  such  things 
can  exist. 

Among  the  well-to-do,  theft,  when  it  does  occur, 


68  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

arises  from  a  temporary  loss  of  moral  sense,  though, 
of  course,  there  are  occasionally  cases,  in  which  the 
want  of  moral  perception  is  an  inherent  defect.  But 
such  cases  are  very  rare.  One  particular  form  of 
theft  confined  almost  entirely  to  young  girls,  is  that 
known  as  kleptomania.  It  appears  almost  always  be- 
tween thirteen  and  twenty,  though  it  is  occasionally 
seen  in  older  women.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  dis- 
cussion as  to  whether  this  condition  is  one  of  the 
forms  of  temporary  loss  of  moral  sense,  or  a  delib- 
erate crime  against  the  law,  for  which  the  offender 
is  fully  responsible.  It  is  hard  to  regard  it  in  the 
light  of  deliberate  theft,  for  the  motive,  in  most 
cases,  is  lacking,  the  girl  taking  articles  she  does  not 
in  the  least  need  or  even  desire,  or  which  she  could 
have  by  expressing  a  wish  for  them.  Again,  the 
things  taken  are  sometimes  so  unsuitable  that  they 
can  be  of  no  possible  use  or  pleasure  in  themselves, 
and  yet  no  attempt  is  made  to  dispose  of  them.  An- 
other argument  against  its  being  deliberate  is  that  the 
impulse  seems  to  be  irresistible,  even  when  it  is  al- 
most sure  to  be  quickly  found  out.  Take,  for  in- 
stance, the  case  of  a  young  girl  who  ordered  a  most 
expensive  set  of  furs  from  a  well-known  shop  and 
had  them  charged  to  a  friend  of  her  mother's,  who, 
there  was  every  reason  to  believe,  would  discover  the 
fact  without  loss  of  time.  As  by  far  the  greater 
number  of  cases  of  kleptomania  happen  in  early 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  69 

girlhood  and  recover  with  maturity,  it  seems  probable 
that  it  is  really  one  of  the  temporary  moral  dis- 
turbances. 

To  deal  with  a  case  of  theft  requires  the  utmost 
tact  and  discretion,  whether  it  is  a  direct  yielding  to 
temptation  or  the  effect  of  kleptomania.  Each  case 
must  be  treated  according  to  the  temperament  and  cir- 
cumstances of  the  offender.  It  is  most  essential  that 
she  should  feel  what  she  has  done  to  be  wrong,  and 
at  the  same  time  it  would  be  a  great  injustice  to  treat 
her  as  a  thief.  Perhaps  what  is  most  important  is 
that  she  should  appreciate  that  the  offense  is  one  for 
which  she  could  be  prosecuted,  and  realize  how  near 
she  stands  to  a  penalty  which  others,  less  fortunate, 
may  have  to  pay  under  similar  circumstances.  If  a 
sufficient  impression  can  be  made  in  this  way  it  will 
probably  keep  her  straight,  until  she  has  developed 
sufficient  moral  force  for  her  own  protection. 

Another  form  of  dishonesty  frequent  in  girlhood  is 
debt  on  account  of  extravagance.  The  debts  con- 
tracted by  young  girls  are  not  serious  and  must,  of 
course,  be  paid  by  some  one  responsible  for  them,  but 
the  moral  defect  is  greater  than  it  may  appear  at  first, 
because  it  lays  the  foundation  for  a  habit  of  debt 
later  on.  No  doubt  it  arises,  like  other  moral  dis- 
turbances of  the  period,  from  the  temporary  loss  of 
moral  perception,  but  it  is  really  more  serious  than 
most  of  the  others,  for  they  pass  away  spontaneously 


70  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

with  growth;  but  a  habit  of  debt  will  be  kept  up  later 
in  life.  In  fact  the  moral  sense  once  disturbed  in  this 
particular  does  not  seem  able  to  recover  as  it  does  in 
other  cases. 

The  use  of  bad  language  is  supposed  to  be  a  fault 
belonging  especially  to  boys;  nevertheless  girls  are  by 
no  means  exempt  from  it  at  this  particular  age. 
Sometimes  a  girl  who  has  never  shown  the  slightest 
disposition  to  such  a  thing  before  will  suddenly  ap- 
pear to  be  under  a  perfect  obsession,  compelling  her  to 
say  all  the  profane  or  obscene  words  she  has  ever 
heard  and  a  great  many  which  it  seems  impossible  she 
ever  could  have  heard.  An  outbreak  of  profanity  of 
this  kind  is  quite  a  different  thing  from  the  swearing 
prompted  by  a  fit  of  anger  or  exasperation,  indeed, 
girls  do  not  seem  to  experience  this  particular  tempta- 
tion as  boys  and  men  do,  for  in  their  case,  a  good  fit 
of  crying  takes  the  place  of  a  storm  of  bad  words. 
Probably  the  explanation  of  bad  language  in  girls  is 
to  be  found  in  the  impulse  to  "  show  off,"  arising 
from  self-consciousness.  The  craving  for  attention 
and  notice  is  sometimes  so  strong  at  this  age  that  to 
do  what  is  shocking  is  almost  as  great  a  temptation  as 
to  do  what  is  admired,  and  bad  language,  of  course, 
affords  an  easy  means  to  the  end  in  view. 

This  particular  phase  of  moral  disturbance  is  the 
only  one  in  which  contempt  is  useful  as  a  cure.  To 
show  horror  and  distress  is  exactly  what  the  offender 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  71 

desires,  though  she  may  not  have  formulated  the 
thought,  and  therefore  it  is  the  thing  of  all  others  to 
be  avoided.  If  the  offense  is  treated  with  silent  con- 
tempt, or  with  a  few  words  showing  disgust  and  sur- 
prise at  such  childishness  and  bad  taste,  there  will  be 
no  temptation  to  repeat  it. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  the  period  of  life  which 
we  are  now  discussing  is  disturbed  at  some  point  by 
a  failure  of  will  power,  or  rather  by  a  lack  of  its 
development,  which  affects  the  conduct  passively  in- 
stead of  actively.  There  does  not  seem  to  be  suffi- 
cient vigor  of  either  mind  or  body  to  excite  deter- 
minate wrongdoing,  neither  is  there  enough  to  act 
as  a  protection  against  it,  and  the  results,  of  course, 
are  faults  of  omission  rather  than  commission.  It 
is  in  such  cases  as  this  that  we  find  incorrigible  lazi- 
ness. A  girl  goes  to  school  if  she  is  sent,  for  she  has 
not  enough  energy  to  set  up  an  active  resistance  or  to 
play  truant ;  but  when  she  gets  there  she  sits  with  her 
eyes  fixed  on  her  book  and  her  mind  fixed  on  noth- 
ing at  all.  Another  manifestation  of  the  condition  is 
excessive  disorderliness  and  want  of  cleanliness  both 
of  person  and  surroundings.  Just  at  the  age  when 
a  girl  becomes  old  enough  to  have  charge  of  her  own 
toilet  and  is  usually  much  occupied  with  its  various 
phases,  such  a  one  as  we  are  now  discussing  must 
either  be  supervised  like  a  child  or  be  as  unpresentable 
as  a  child  left  to  its  own  devices.  Still  another  form 


72  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

of  the  condition  is  a  dreaminess  and  general  want  of 
responsibility  which  make  the  subject  of  it  entirely 
untrustworthy. 

Here  again  the  question  of  physical  causes  must  be 
considered.  A  depreciated  state  of  the  general  health 
and  a  low  vitality  are  frequently  at  the  bottom  of  this 
condition.  Often  the  discovery  and  cure  of  anemia, 
or  of  a  disturbed  action  of  the  heart,  will  be  followed 
by  such  a  sudden  change  to  vigor  and  activity  that 
there  seems  to  be  a  difference  of  individuality.  Faults 
arising  from  this  cause  should  never  be  set  down 
arbitrarily  as  proceeding  from  willfulness  and  super- 
fluity of  naughtiness.  A  will  thus  weakened  is  an  in- 
firmity which  ought  to  excite  compassion,  and  needs 
to  be  protected  and  cared  for  until  it  is  strong  enough 
to  stand  alone,  which  it  will  do  when  the  period  of 
transition  is  over.  The  treatment  must  be  governed 
by  circumstances.  Such  a  girl  may  be  perfectly 
obedient,  but  nothing  is  gained  by  that.  It  is  impos-, 
sible  to  regulate  life  at  this  age  entirely  by  obedience. 
The  great  point  is  to  find  out  what  will  stimulate  the 
will  and  develop  the  sense  of  personal  responsibility, 
and  that  is  a  task  that  will  often  tax  the  most  acute 
perceptions.  Sometimes,  in  fact  not  infrequently, 
strangers  are  more  successful  in  awakening  energy 
than  relatives  or  friends,  and  it  may  be  a  good  plan  to 
send  such  a  girl  away  from  home  for  a  time  to  a  good 
boarding  school  or  some  other  place  where  there  will 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  73 

be  a  change  of  interest  as  well  as  the  necessity  for 
assuming  more  personal  responsibility,  and  of  keeping 
up  appearances  with  strangers. 

The  most  serious  of  the  moral  disturbances  of  girl- 
hood, of  course,  are  those  connected  with  sex,  though 
persons  best  acquainted  with  the  subject  seem  now 
agreed  that  ignorance  is  a  far  more  powerful  agent  in 
such  cases  than  sexual  temptation.  The  two  chapters 
devoted  to  the  various  matters  associated  with  sex, 
seem  to  be  a  more  appropriate  place  for  the  discussion 
of  these  matters,  therefore  they  are  now  only  men- 
tioned in  passing. 

If  we  take  a  brief  review  of  the  various  disturb- 
ances of  girlhood,  it  is  plain  that  their  presence  is  not 
in  itself  a  cause  for  anxiety.  The  physical  changes 
natural  to  the  age,  especially  the  development  of  com- 
plex associations  in  the  brain,  with  its  consequent  evo- 
lution from  a  lower  to  a  higher  function,  must  in- 
evitably be  accompanied  by  disturbances  of  one  kind 
or  another,  the  nature  of  which  in  any  particular  case 
depends  upon  a  variety  of  influences,  such  as  in- 
heritance, environment,  education,  and  the  most  subtle 
of  all, —  temperament. 

It  is  in  the  management  of  the  period  that  occasion 
for  anxiety  lies.  Not  that  there  is  anything  in  that 
management  which  cannot  be  carried  out  successfully 
and  easily,  provided  the  forces  to  be  reckoned  with 
are  clearly  understood.  The  difficulty  lies  in  the  fact 


74  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

that  the  nature  of  these  forces  has  not,  until  recently, 
been  investigated.  The  object  of  these  three  chapters 
has  been  to  present  such  information  in  regard  to  them 
as  it  has  been  possible  to  obtain  from  sources  now 
open,  and  before  concluding,  it  seems  well  to  em- 
phasize such  of  the  points  considered  as  suggest  special 
food  for  thought. 

All  the  disturbances  of  girlhood  can  be  accounted 
for  if  only  we  remember  that  consciousness  of  self 
and  realization  of  personal  freedom  are  the  two  great 
influences  of  the  period.  The  regulation  of  these  two 
forces  is  the  one  great  essential  in  the  management  of 
youth,  but  in  order  to  carry  this  out  successfully  the 
difference  in  development  between  the  emotions  and 
the  reason  must  always  be  borne  in  mind.  As  I  have 
said  more  than  once,  all  the  emotional  qualities  are 
in  excess  during  the  early  years  of  girlhood  and  the 
imagination  has  a  vividness  which  it  will  never  have 
again,  but  the  rational  qualities  develop  with  compara- 
tive slowness.  These  fundamental  facts,  once  clearly 
understood  and  kept  constantly  in  mind  furnish  a  solu- 
tion for  most,  if  not  all  the  problems  of  girlhood. 

Few  parents,  or  those  in  the  position  of  parents, 
realize  how  important  the  period  of  girlhood  is,  nor 
how  tactful  their  own  conduct  must  be  while  their 
children  are  passing  through  it.  The  task  before  them 
is  to  combine  watchfulness  and  care  with  the  personal 
freedom  that  youth  requires  for  its  full  development, 


MORAL  DISTURBANCES  75 

and  it  is  not  an  easy  one.  Naturally  it  is  hard  for 
parents  to  see  a  child  make  grave  mistakes  and  in- 
volve herself  in  unhappiness  because  she  will  not  con- 
sent to  profit  by  their  experience  of  life.  Yet  this  is 
just  what  a  wise  parent  will  try  to  do.  I  do  not  mean, 
of  course,  that  girls  should  be  allowed  to  do  what 
will  injure  their  characters,  or  involve  them  in  perma- 
nent suffering;  still  less  that  they  should  act  so  that 
they  are  condemned  by  the  outside  world.  In  the 
larger  affairs  of  life,  whose  consequences  are  far- 
reaching,  they  need  to  be  controlled,  more  or  less  as 
they  were  in  childhood.  But  in  the  smaller  affairs  of 
everyday  life,  they  had  much  better  be  left  to  their 
own  devices,  even  though  these  will  surely  lead  them 
into  trouble.  Only  by  their  own  experience  can  they 
learn  what  is  worth  knowing,  and  only  by  bearing  the 
consequences  of  their  own  mistakes  will  they  find  out 
how  to  protect  themselves  in  the  future,  even  if  they 
burn  their  fingers  —  as  they  undoubtedly  will  —  in 
the  fiery  furnace  of  experience. 

Nothing,  moreover,  inspires  confidence  between 
youth  and  those  in  authority  over  it  so  quickly  as  the 
absence  of  interference,  and  nothing  calms  and  regu- 
lates the  agitation  of  the  period  so  entirely  as  the  pres- 
ence of  confidence  and  the  knowledge  of  sympathy. 
As  someone  has  said,  "  What  youth  wants  most  is 
room."  And  if  it  recognizes  that  space  to  grow  in 
its  own  way  is  willingly  granted,  not  grudgingly  con- 


;6  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

ceded,  the  great  difficulty  in  the  situation  is  overcome. 
Above  all,  the  reserve  of  youth  should  be  respected. 
I  have  tried  to  show  that  it  is  not  the  result  of  delib- 
erate concealment,  but  a  lack  of  self -comprehension 
and  of  power  of  expression.  Youth  is  naturally  in- 
articulate and  must  remain  mute  as  to  its  own  mental 
processes  until  such  time  as  its  faculties  are  fully  and 
evenly  developed.  Fathers  and  mothers  who  can  re- 
frain from  interference,  respect  reticence,  and  sym- 
pathize with  ill-regulated  emotion  during  girlhood, 
will  reap  a  rich  reward  in  that  life-long  friendship 
with  their  daughter,  which  is  one  of  life's  most 
precious  possessions. 


CHAPTER  IV 

REPRODUCTION 

Nature  of  reproduction  —  Difference  of  the  process  in  the 
lower  and  the  higher  forms  of  life  —  Manner  of  reproduc- 
tion in  ameba  —  In  hematococcus  —  In  heteromita  —  In 
vaucheria  —  In  polygordius  —  In  crayfish  —  In  the  fish  — 
In  the  bird  —  In  the  mammal  —  In  the  human  being. 

ALL  the  various  functions  of  the  body  are  estab- 
lished at  birth  with  one  exception,  namely,  that  of 
reproduction,  which  is  not  developed  in  any  living 
thing,  whether  animal  or  vegetable,  until  it  reaches 
maturity.  The  establishment  of  the  function  in  the 
human  being  is  accompanied,  especially  in  girls,  by 
changes  affecting  both  mind  and  body,  which  have 
been  described  in  the  previous  chapters.  The  anat- 
omy and  physiology  of  the  reproductive  organs,  how- 
ever, as  well  as  the  nature  of  the  reproductive  process 
itself  are  still  to  be  considered.  For  a  girl  to  grow 
up  uninformed  of  these  facts  and  of  the  natural  laws 
connected  with  them  is  doing  her  a  great  injustice, 
because  she  then  enters  life  unprepared  for  some  of 
its  most  serious  problems  and  may  have  to  pay  heavily 
in  health  or  happiness  for  her  ignorance.  Our  present 
custom  of  surrounding  all  matters  of  sex  and  of  re- 
7  77 


78  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

production  with  an  atmosphere  of  mystery  is  a  most 
unfortunate  policy  and  we  have  reason  to  rejoice  at 
the  perception,  now  growing  up  on  all  sides,  that  the 
open,  direct  treatment  of  such  subjects  is  a  duty  par- 
ents owe  to  their  children.  There  seems  to  be  a  gen- 
eral agreement  among  those  interested  in  the  question 
of  sex  from  the  educational  standpoint  that  the  best 
way  to  make  the  subject  clear  to  young  minds  and  to 
place  it  before  them  in  a  right  light  is  to  explain  the 
evolution  of  the  process  of  reproduction  as  it  appears 
in  the  different  forms  of  life  from  the  lowest  to  the 
highest,  illustrating  the  different  stages  by  the  descrip- 
tion of  types  showing  special  characteristics.  This 
is  the  method  I  propose  to  follow  here,  though  it  is 
impossible  in  the  space  at  command  to  do  more  than 
present  the  most  distinctive  forms. 

Every  living  thing  is  able  to  reproduce  itself.  It  is, 
indeed,  the  power  of  reproducing  its  kind  that  dis- 
tinguishes life  from  what  is  inanimate.  Inanimate  ob- 
jects can  increase  in  size  by  the  addition  of  more  of 
their  own  substance,  but  only  living  things  can  multi- 
ply their  kind  by  the  production  of  a  new  individual 
in  their  own  likeness.  The  manner  of  reproduction 
differs  greatly  in  different  forms  of  life,  but  whatever 
the  variations  may  be,  they  are  always  in  accordance 
with  the  position  in  the  scale  of  life.  In  the  lower 
forms,  reproduction  is  more  or  less  simple;  in  the 
higher  more  or  less  complex.  It  is  more  intricate  in 


REPRODUCTION  79 

a  dog  than  in  a  bird;  in  a  frog  or  a  fish  than  in  a 
lobster;  in  a  worm  than  in  a  jelly-fish,  and  the  same 
differences  exist  in  vegetable  life,  though  they  are  not 
so  constantly  before  us.  The  reproduction  of  a  rose 
is  a  much  more  complicated  process  than  that  of  a 
seaweed. 

One  of  the  lowest  and  simplest  of  all  living  things 
is  the  ameba,  an  animal  organism  so  small  that  it 
can  only  be  seen  through  the  microscope.  It  consists 
of  one  single  cell,  composed  of  a  transparent  jelly- 
like  substance  called  protoplasm,  which  contains  a 
central  spot,  known  as  the  nucleus,  the  whole  being 
surrounded  by  a  wall  formed  of  the  cell  substance. 
But  this  cell,  tiny  as  it  is,  is  able  to  carry  on  within 
itself  all  the  processes  necessary  to  life  —  it  moves, 
it  breathes,  it  digests,  and  finally,  it  reproduces  itself, 
all  in  the  most  elementary  manner.  The  process  of  its 
reproduction  is  as  follows :  First,  the  nucleus  divides 
into  halves  and  the  two  halves  immediately  move  away 
from  each  other;  next  the  ameba  stretches  itself  out  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  becomes  extremely  thin  just  be- 
tween the  two  nuclei  and,  finally,  it  separates  at  this 
spot.  No  sooner  has  the  separation  taken  place,  than 
the  cell  wall  closes  again  on  each  side  so  that  there  are 
two  cells,  each  exactly  like  the  parent  cell  except  that 
it  is  a  little  smaller  and  each  ready  to  begin  life  on  its 
own  account  as  a  separate  individual.  This  process 
of  cell  division  is  the  first  step  in  all  reproduction,  the 


8o  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

division  of  the  nucleus  being  the  essential  point  in  the 
process;  and  it  always  takes  place  in  the  manner  just 
described,  the  nucleus  dividing  first  and  the  cell  sub- 
stance afterwards.  The  behavior  of  the  cell  wall, 
which  is  not  necessary  to  reproduction,  varies  in  dif- 
ferent forms  of  life. 

The  next  stage  in  reproduction  is  well  illustrated  by 
a  one-celled  vegetable  organism  called  the  hematococ- 
cus.  It  is  slightly  higher  in  the  scale  of  life  than  the 
ameba  and  its  mode  of  reproducing  itself  is,  therefore, 
a  little  more  advanced.  The  first  division  of  the  cell 
substance  into  halves  takes  place  exactly  as  in  the 
ameba,  except  that  the  cell  wall,  which  is  harder  in  the 
hematococcus,  remains  unbroken,  the  division  of  the 
cell  substance  taking  place  within  it.  But  the  process 
does  not  stop  at  a  single  division,  as  in  the  ameba;  as 
soon  as  the  two  new  cells  are  formed,  they  each  divide 
again,  so  that  there  are  four  daughter  cells  within  the 
wall  of  the  mother  cell.  The  cell  wall  then  breaks  up 
and  goes  to  pieces,  while  the  new  cells  separate  and 
move  a  little  apart  from  each  other.  Each  of  them 
then  develops  a  new  cell  wall  of  its  own,  having  at  one 
point  in  it  a  pair  of  little  filaments,  called  flagella.  by 
means  of  which  it  moves  about. 

We  next  come  to  the  stage  where  the  presence  of 
two  individuals  is  necessary  to  reproduction,  although 
the  part  which  they  take  in  it  is  of  the  simplest  descrip- 
tion. A  good  example  of  this  type  is  another  little 


REPRODUCTION  81 

one-celled  organism,  called  heteromita,  which  is  suf- 
ficiently advanced  to  have  a  front  and  a  hind  end.  At 
times  the  heteromita  swims  freely  about  in  the  water 
where  it  lives;  at  others  it  attaches  itself  to  some  ob- 
ject which  it  encounters,  such  as  a  bit  of  stick  or  a 
piece  of  straw,  and  remains  stationary.  When  it  is 
ready  for  reproduction,  one  of  the  swimming  forms 
approaches  a  stationary  form  and  attaches  itself  to  the 
latter  in  such  a  way  that  the  hind  ends  of  the  two 
come  into  contact,  after  which  the  two  cells  mingle 
with  each  other,  just  as  two  drops  of  mucilage  on  a 
plate  might  do.  This  fusion  of  two  individual  cells 
is  called  conjugation.  Out  of  the  mass  of  protoplasm 
formed  by  their  union  a  new  cell  is  formed,  which, 
after  undergoing  various  stages  in  development,  be- 
comes a  full  grown  heteromita  exactly  like  the  parents. 

The  next  step  in  the  evolution  of  reproduction  is  a 
most  significant  one,  namely,  the  first  appearance  of 
sex.  In  the  heteromita  the  presence  of  two  individ- 
uals was  necessary  to  the  production  of  a  new  one,  but 
they  were  exactly  alike;  now  we  reach  a  point  where 
they  are  different  from  each  other,  one  representing 
the  male  and  the  other  the  female.  Another  sign  of 
advance  is  that  only  a  part  of  the  cell  takes  part  in 
reproduction  instead  of  the  whole. 

The  best  example  of  the  type  for  our  present  pur- 
pose is  a  vegetable  form  called  vaucheria,  which  is  the 
highest  of  the  one-celled  organisms,  or  rather,  it  is  an 


82  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

intermediate  stage  between  the  one-celled  and  the 
many-celled  forms.  Vaucheria  is  large  enough  to  be 
seen  with  the  naked  eye,  though  the  process  of  repro- 
duction cannot  be  observed  without  a  microscope.  It 
consists  of  long  green  filaments  which  lie  closely 
packed  together  forming  a  slimy  mass  on  the  surface 
of  stagnant  water.  Along  the  filaments  many  nuclei 
are  scattered  at  intervals,  but  there  is  no  sign  of  cell 
walls  between  them,  so  that  the  plant  cannot  be  said  to 
be  either  one-celled  or  many-celled.  When  reproduc- 
tion is  about  to  take  place,  which  happens  only  at  cer- 
tain seasons  of  the  year,  little  buds  appear  at  inter- 
vals along  the  sides  of  the  filaments,  each  bud  con- 
taining a  nucleus  which  has  separated  from  a  larger 
one  near  by.  The  buds  are  arranged  in  pairs,  one  of 
each  pair  being  a  little  longer  than  the  other.  As  soon 
as  they  are  distinctly  formed,  the  shorter  bud  swells  up 
into  a  round  blunt  point,  after  which  a  cell  wall  forms 
around  it,  so  that  it  is  shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the 
filament  and  converted  into  a  separate  cell  containing 
its  own  nucleus.  This  cell  is  called  the  ovary  and  rep- 
resents the  female.  While  the  short  bud  has  been 
swelling,  the  long  one  has  grown  still  longer  and 
after  it  reaches  a  certain  length,  the  tip  divides  into  a 
separate  cell  as  in  the  shorter  bud.  The  new  cell  thus 
formed  is  called  the  spermary  and  represents  the  male. 
The  spermary  now  bends  over  upon  itself  until  it  is 
nearly  double  and  its  tip  approaches  closely  to  the 


REPRODUCTION  83 

ovary.  Next  the  cell  wall  of  the  ovary  breaks  down 
at  one  point  and  a  little  bit  of  protoplasm  comes  out 
and  disappears.  After  this  the  remainder  of  the 
protoplasm  within  the  ovary  separates  itself  from  the 
cell  wall  and  becomes  what  is  called  a  "  naked  cell," 
that  is  to  say  a  cell  having  a  nucleus  but  no  wall. 
This  naked  cell  is  the  ovum  or  egg.  In  the  meantime 
the  spermary  has  multiplied  by  cell  division  inside  the 
cell  wall,  until  there  are  a  great  number  of  tiny  cells, 
each  of  which  has  developed  a  pair  of  flagella  as  in 
the  hematococcus.  These  tiny  cells  are  sperm  cells. 
The  walls  of  the  spermary  now  break  down  and  the 
sperm  cells  escape,  moving  away  by  means  of  their 
flagella.  Some  of  them  approach  the  ovary  and  pass 
through  the  opening  in  its  wall,  after  which  one  of  the 
number  attaches  itself  to  the  ovum  and  the  two  fuse 
together  as  in  the  case  of  the  heteromita. 

The  sperm  cell  and  the  ovum  are  the  two  essential 
elements  in  reproduction  wherever  it  may  be,  the 
sperm  cell  being  the  male  and  the  ovum  the  female 
element.  Motion  is  the  special  characteristic  of  the 
sperm  cell,  for  its  function  is  to  search  for  the  ovum, 
which  is  always  passive.  For  this  reason  the  sperm 
cells  are  provided  with  flagella.  The  union  of  the 
sperm  cell  and  the  ovum  is  called  fertilization  and  it 
takes  place  in  all  forms  of  reproduction.  The  essen- 
tial point  in  it  is  the  union  of  the  two  nuclei,  one  from 
the  male  and  the  other  from  the  female  cell.  The 


84  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

process  of  reproduction  in  vaucheria,  simple  as  it  is, 
does  not  differ  in  anything  essential  from  the  same 
process  in  the,  higher  forms  of  life  and  the  terms  em- 
ployed in  the  description  just  given  are  those  employed 
at  every  stage  in  the  scale  of  life. 

We  now  reach  the  many-celled  organisms,  that  is  to 
say  living  things  composed  of  numbers  of  cells,  modi- 
fied in  many  different  ways  to  perform  different  func- 
tions. With  every  advance  in  the  scale  of  life  the 
cells  become  more  numerous  and  more  distinctly 
adapted  to  special  forms  or  functions.  All  the  va- 
rious tissues,  parts,  and  organs  of  every  living  thing 
consist  of  cells  which  have  undergone  whatever  kind 
of  development  and  modification  was  necessary  to  fit 
them  for  their  particular  office.  The  specialization  of 
cells  becomes  more  and  more  complicated  with  each 
advance  in  the  scale  of  life  until  we  reach  the  human 
being,  where  it  attains  its  highest  development.  In  all 
many-celled  organisms,  whether  high  or  low  in  the 
scale,  one  particular  set  of  cells  is  set  apart  and 
adapted  for  the  purpose  of  reproduction,  the  male  and 
female  being  separate  individuals. 

A  good  example  of  the  lowest  many-celled  organ- 
isms is  a  tiny  worm  an  inch  or  so  in  length,  called 
polygordius,  which  lives  in  the  sand  at  the  bottom  of 
the  sea.  The  interior  of  its  body,  as  in  all  worms,  is 
divided  into  segments  and  in  all  of  the  segments,  ex- 
cept a  few  at  the  extreme  ends,  are  heaps  of  cells 


REPRODUCTION  85 

devoted  to  the  function  of  reproduction.  In  the  male 
worm,  when  the  season  for  reproduction  comes  round, 
these  special  cells  divide  and  re-divide  over  and  over 
again,  the  new  cells  thus  formed  taking  on  the  special 
characteristics  of  sperm  cells.  In  the  female  worm 
the  cells  instead  of  dividing  increase  in  size  and  at 
the  same  time  develop  the  characteristics  of  ova.  By 
this  process  of  multiplication  in  one  case  and  enlarge- 
ment in  the  other  the  interior  of  each  segment  becomes 
filled  with  sperm  cells  or  ova,  according  to  the  sex  of 
the  individual  worm.  When  the  ova  have  reached  a 
certain  size,  the  body  of  the  worm  splits  at  some  point 
in  each  segment  and  the  ova  escape,  remaining  just 
where  they  happen  to  fall.  The  sperm  cells  also  es- 
cape from  the  body  of  the  male  worm,  though  it  is 
not  known  whether  they  do  so  in  exactly  the  same 
manner  as  in  the  female.  As  soon  as  the  sperm  cells 
are  free,  they  begin,  as  usual,  to  move  in  the  direction 
of  the  ova  by  means  of  their  flagella.  Every  sperm 
cell  that  meets  an  ovum  fuses  with  it,  after  which  the 
new  cell  formed  by  their  union  divides  into  two  and 
the  development  of  a  new  worm  begins. 

At  the  next  stage  of  reproduction,  represented  for 
our  present  purpose  by  the  crayfish,  the  reproductive 
organs  are  still  more  specialized.  In  the  male  cray- 
fish they  form  a  definite  organ  called  the  testis,  which 
is  filled  with  sperm  cells  and  represents  a  further  de- 
velopment of  the  spermary  in  vaucheria.  The  testis 


86  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

lies  about  the  middle  of  the  body  cavity  in  the  median 
line  and  from  each  side  of  it  proceeds  a  tube  called 
the  spermiduct  which  leads  to  the  exterior  and  opens 
on  one  of  the  legs.  In  the  female  crayfish  the  repro- 
ductive cells  form  an  ovary  containing  ova  and  com- 
municating with  the  exterior  by  means  of  a  passage 
called  the  oviduct  which  opens  in  a  manner  similar  to 
that  of  the  spermiduct.  When  reproduction  is  about 
to  take  place  the  bodies  of  the  male  and  female  cray- 
fish come  into  close  contact,  after  which  the  sperm 
cells  pass  out  through  the  spermiduct  and  are  deposited 
on  the  body  of  the  female  at  a  point  near  to  the  open- 
ing of  the  oviduct.  Shortly  after  this  occurs  the  ova 
escape  from  the  ovary  and  pass  out  through  the  ovi- 
duct. As  soon  as  they  reach  the  outside  they  encoun- 
ter a  sticky  substance  secreted  by  a  gland  in  the  vicin- 
ity, which  fastens  them  to  the  body  of  the  female  and 
keeps  them  stationary  until  the  sperm  cells  have  a 
chance  to  reach  them  and  fertilization  can  take  place. 
As  soon  as  the  ova  are  fertilized,  they  drop  off  the 
female  and  remain  where  they  fall  while  undergoing 
further  development. 

We  now  reach  the  important  class  of  vertebrates, 
which  is  comparatively  high  in  the  scale  of  life,  an 
advance  shown,  as  regards  reproduction,  by  the  fact 
that  fertilization  takes  place  within  the  body  of  the 
female.  In  the  fish  which  will  answer  very  well  for 
the  purpose  of  illustration,  the  reproductive  organs 


REPRODUCTION  87 

are  much  the  same  as  they  are  in  the  crayfish  except 
that  the  male  has  two  testes  while  the  female  has  but 
one  ovary.  The  ovary  has  two  oviducts,  however, 
one  on  each  side;  but  instead  of  leading  directly  to 
the  exterior,  they  unite  so  as  to  form  a  single  tube 
opening  on  the  outside.  Each  testis  has  a  spermiduct 
which  dilates  near  its  outer  end  so  as  to  form  a  pouch 
in  which  the  sperm  cells  collect  and  the  pouches  termi- 
nate in  tubes  leading  to  the  exterior.  When  repro- 
duction takes  place  the  male  fish  comes  into  contact 
with  the  female  and  the  sperm  cells  collected  in  the 
pouches  of  the  spermiduct  pass  out  of  the  body  of  the 
male  into  the  lower  part  of  the  oviduct,  where  the 
ova  are  fertilized.  Soon  after  fertilization  takes  place 
the  ova  pass  out  of  the  oviduct  and  are  deposited  in  the 
grass  and  weeds.  In  the  course  of  its  passage  out- 
ward each  fertilized  ovum  is  surrounded  with  a  horny 
substance  that  serves  as  a  protection  during  its  devel- 
opment. This  substance  is  secreted  by  a  gland  called 
the  shell-gland  situated  in  the  widest  part  of  the  ovi- 
duct. 

The  process  of  reproduction  in  the  frog  is  much 
the  same  as  it  is  in  the  fish,  but  the  eggs  of  the  frog 
are  covered  with  a  slimy  jelly-like  substance  that 
forms  a  protective  covering  and  also  provides  food 
for  the  developing  ovum.  The  presence  of  protection 
and  of  nourishment  for  the  ovum  during  the  period 
in  which  it  is  undergoing  the  further  stage  of  its 


88  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

development  shows  a  distinct  advance  in  the  repro- 
ductive process. 

With  birds  we  come  to  a  still  higher  stage  in  repro- 
duction though  the  advance  is  more  apparent  in  the 
condition  of  the  ovum  during  its  development  than  in 
the  reproductive  process  itself.  The  organs  of  repro- 
duction in  the  bird  are  not  essentially  different  from 
what  they  are  in  the  fish  or  the  frog.  The  female  bird 
has  only  one  ovary  which  lies  in  the  abdominal  cavity 
on  the  left  side  of  the  spinal  column.  The  oviduct 
leading  from  it  is  dilated  at  the  end  next  to  the  ovary 
and  there  is  another  still  larger  dilation  near  the  other 
extremity.  It  does  not  open  directly  on  the  exterior, 
but  into  a  passage  called  the  cloaca  where  the  organs 
concerned  in  excretion  also  discharge  their  contents. 

The  ovary  in  the  bird  is  filled  with  ova  in  different 
stages  of  development  embedded  in  a  mass  of  tissue. 
A  mature  ovum,  when  it  is  ready  to  escape  from  the 
ovary,  consists  of  a  light  yellow  body  enclosed  in  a 
delicate  membrane  and  having  at  one  point  a  slightly 
darkened  spot  or  disc.  The  yellow  substance  is 
known  to  us  as  the  yolk  of  the  egg  and  the  disc  is  what 
old  cooks  call  "  the  chicken."  Cell-division  and  de- 
velopment take  place  only  in  the  disc,  the  yolk  serving 
solely  for  nourishment. 

When  the  ovum  escapes  from  the  ovary  it  passes 
into  the  dilated  portion  of  the  oviduct.  Here  it  is  fer- 
tilized by  the  sperm  cells  and  passes  on  downward. 


REPRODUCTION  89 

The  white  of  the  egg,  which  surrounds  the  yolk,  is 
secreted  by  glands  situated  in  the  walls  of  the  oviduct 
and  surrounds  the  ovum  as  it  passes  through  it.  An- 
other set  of  glands  a  little  further  down  the  oviduct 
secrete  the  substance  that  forms  the  shell.  When 
first  deposited  around  the  egg  the  shell  is  quite  soft 
and  slimy,  but  when  the  ovum  reaches  the  lower  dila- 
tion of  the  oviduct  it  remains  there  for  twelve  to 
eighteen  hours  during  which  time  the  shell  becomes 
quite  hard.  After  this  the  fully  formed  egg,  sur- 
rounded by  its  shell,  is  expelled  from  the  dilated  por- 
tion of  the  oviduct  by  violent  contractions  of  the  walls 
and  passes  out  through  the  cloaca  to  the  outside.  In 
other  words  it  is  laid. 

But,  if  nothing  more  were  to  happen  the  egg  of  the 
bird  would  never  develop  any  farther.  It  cannot  take 
care  of  itself,  or  rather  do  without  any  care  at  all, 
like  the  eggs  of  the  lower  animals.  With  the  bird 
we  reach  the  stage  in  development  known  as  warm- 
blooded, which  means  that  the  temperature  of  the  ani- 
mal's body  remains  always  the  same  in  health  and  does 
not  change  according  to  the  surrounding  atmosphere 
as  in  frogs,  fish,  and  other  so-called  cold-blooded  ani- 
mals. It  is  necessary  to  the  development  of  the  ova 
of  warm-blooded  animals  that  they  should  be  kept  at 
the  temperature  of  the  mother's  body  until  they  are 
able  to  take  care  of  themselves.  In  birds  the  neces- 
sary warmth  is  furnished  by  means  of  the  process 


90  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

known  as  sitting,  during  which  the  mother  keeps 
the  eggs  close  to  her  body  and  consequently  always  at 
the  same  temperature  with  it  until  they  are  ready  to 
come  out  of  the  shell.  This  period  in  the  chicken  lasts 
for  twenty  to  twenty-one  days  at  the  end  of  which 
time  the  little  chick  is  quite  formed  and,  as  Mr.  Foster 
says  in  his  book  upon  the  subject,  "  steps  out  into  the 
world." 

Here  is  a  distinct  advance  upon  the  process  of  re- 
production in  cold-blooded  animals.  The  ovum  de- 
pends upon  the  mother  for  protection  during  its  period 
of  development,  which  is  not  the  case  in  any  of  the 
lower  animals.  Moreover,  it  is  provided  with  nour- 
ishment during  its  development  as  well  as  protected 
from  external  injury  by  the  shell.  These  last  two 
points  are  present  in  the  higher  of  the  cold-blooded 
animals,  but  in  a  less  mature  degree. 

We  now  come  to  the  highest  class  in  the  scale  of 
life,  the  class  known  as  mammals,  or  mammalia,  to 
which  man,  on  his  animal  side,  belongs.  With  mam- 
mals the  ovum  is  not  only  fertilized  within  the  body 
of  the  mother,  but  develops  within  it  as  well  until  it  is 
fit  for  an  independent  existence.  Moreover,  after  its 
separation  from  the  mother  it  is  nourished  by  her 
until  the  first  stage  of  its  life  is  over.  The  name 
mammal,  derived  from  the  Latin  mamma,  a  breast,  is 
taken  from  the  organs  by  means  of  which  this  func- 
tion is  performed. 


REPRODUCTION  91 

In  the  dog,  which  affords  a  good  example  of  the 
typical  features  of  the  mammalia,  the  female  has  two 
ovaries  each  with  its  oviduct,  situated  as  usual  in  the 
abdominal  cavity,  one  on  each  side  of  the  spinal  col- 
umn. The  upper  ends  of  the  oviducts  consist  of  a 
number  of  long  processes  forming  a  fringe  which  lies 
close  against  the  ovary  without  actually  opening  into 
it.  At  their  lower  ends  the  oviducts  open  into  an 
organ  called  the  uterus,  where  the  ovum,  after  fertili- 
zation, is  received  and  nourished  during  its  further 
development.  The  uterus  in  its  fully  developed  form 
is  present  only  in  the  mammalia,  though  there  are  sug- 
gestions of  it  in  some  of  the  lower  animals.  The 
lower  dilation  in  the  oviduct  of  the  bird  is,  no  doubt, 
a  stage  in  its  evolution  and  is  sometimes,  incorrectly, 
spoken  of  as  the  uterus.  In  the  dog  and  some  other 
mammalia  the  uterus  has  two  long  horns,  in  each  of 
which  several  ova  can  develop  at  the  same  time.  This 
arrangement  is  present  in  all  animals  where  the  young 
are  born  in  families,  such  as  puppies,  kittens,  or  rab- 
bits. But  in  those  mammals,  such  as  the  horse  and 
the  cow,  where  one  ovum  develops  at  a  time,  the  uterus 
has  a  rounded  or  a  pear-shaped  form. 

Whatever  may  be  the  shape  of  the  upper  portion  of 
the  uterus  its  lower  end  is  always  elongated  and  some- 
what resembles  the  neck  of  a  bottle,  from  which  fact 
it  has  received  the  name  of  the  cervix,  or  neck.  The 
cervix  opens  into  a  passage  leading  to  the  exterior, 


92  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

called  the  vagina.  In  all  animals  up  to  this  point  the 
reproductive  organs  have  opened  into  a  cloaca  common 
to  them  and  to  the  organs  of  excretion,  as  in  the  bird. 
The  presence  of  a  passage  devoted  exclusively  to  the 
reproductive  organs  is  another  evidence  of  higher  de- 
velopment. 

The  male  dog  has  two  testes,  which  instead  of  lying 
inside  the  body  as  heretofore,  are  contained  in  a  pouch 
of  skin  outside  it.  They  are  filled  with  a  great  many 
tiny  tubules  called  the  seminal  vesicles  which  contain 
the  sperm  cells.  Connected  with  the  testes  by  a  very 
complicated  arrangement  is  a  hollow  organ,  the  penis, 
by  means  of  which  the  sperm  cells  are  conveyed  into 
the  vagina  of  the  female  when  the  time  for  reproduc- 
tion arrives. 

At  intervals,  which  differ  in  different  animals,  and 
in  the  dog  are  about  six  months,  the  ovaries  and  the 
uterus  become  congested  and  swollen,  after  which  the 
thick  outer  covering  that  surrounds  them  breaks  down 
at  places  and  such  of  the  ova  as  are  ready  to  be  fertil- 
ized escape.  They  are  then  caught  by  the  fine  proc- 
esses at  the  end  of  the  oviduct  and  pass  into  its  inte- 
rior. This  process  is  known  as  ovulation.  The  walls 
of  the  oviduct  are  lined  with  thread-like  filaments 
called  cilia,  which  sweep  the  ova  along  the  passage 
in  the  direction  of  the  uterus.  At  the  same  time  the 
sperm  cells  move  up  from  the  vagina  by  means  of  their 
flagella  and  when  one  of  them  meets  an  ovum  fertiliza- 


REPRODUCTION  93 

tion  takes  place.  After  the  ovum  is  fertilized  it  con- 
tinues to  move  downward  until  it  enters  the  uterus, 
where  it  finds  the  mucous  membrane  that  forms  the 
uterine  lining  so  swollen  and  softened  that  it  has  no 
difficulty  in  forming  an  attachment  to  it,  after  which 
it  continues  its  development.  In  the  dog,  as  I  said, 
several  ova  (commonly  six  to  eight)  develop  at  the 
same  time,  but  the  process  of  fertilization  is  the  same 
in  all  mammalia,  whether  it  is  single  or  multiple. 

As  the  mammalian  ovum  is  not  provided  with  any 
means  of  nourishment  such  as  the  chick  possesses  in 
the  yolk  and  white  of  the  egg,  some  other  form  of 
sustenance  is  necessary.  For  a  little  while  after  the 
ovum  becomes  attached  to  the  wall  of  the  uterus  it  is 
nourished  by  the  blood  vessels  in  the  uterine  mucous 
membrane,  but  in  a  short  time  blood  vessels  begin  to 
form  in  the  ovum  itself  and  a  connection  is  established 
between  them  and  the  blood  vessels  in  the  uterus  by 
means  of  an  organ  called  the  placenta,  which  is  pres- 
ent only  in  mammals.  The  placenta  is  a  flat  round 
mass  composed  of  soft,  spongy  tissue  and  full  of  blood 
vessels  communicating  on  one  side  with  those  in  the 
uterus  and  on  the  other  with  the  vessels  developing  in 
the  ovum.  By  means  of  this  arrangement  the 
embryo,  as  the  ovum  at  this  stage  of  its  development 
is  called,  derives  nourishment  from  its  mother  until  it 
is  ready  to  separate  from  her.  The  period  of  time 
during  which  the  developing  embryo  remains  in  the 


94  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

uterus  is  called  pregnancy.  Its  duration  differs  in  dif- 
ferent animals;  in  the  dog  it  is  sixty  days.  At  the 
end  of  it  violent  contractions  of  the  uterus  come  on, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  bird,  and  the  young  animal  is 
forced  out  of  the  uterus  through  the  vagina  to  the  ex- 
terior; in  other  words  it  is  born.  This  process  of  ex- 
pulsion from  the  uterus  is  called  delivery.  After  the 
animal  has  been  expelled  from  the  uterus  the  placenta 
also  is  expelled  and  the  connection  between  the  two  is 
severed. 

But  the  young  animal  is  feeble  and  helpless,  wholly 
unable  to  help  itself  or  care  for  itself  as  the  little  chick 
can  do,  and  therefore  entirely  dependent  upon  its 
mother  for  protection  and  nourishment.  The  means 
for  its  nourishment  are  provided  by  glands  called  the 
mammary  glands,  which  secrete  milk  just  as  other 
glands  in  the  body  secrete  saliva  or  the  digestive  fer- 
ments. There  is  one  peculiarity,  however,  about  the 
mammary  glands,  which  is  that  instead  of  being  more 
or  less  active  at  all  times,  as  in  other  cases,  they  only 
begin  to  secrete  when  a  young  mammal  is  born  and 
their  secretion  is  needed.  As  soon  as  the  little  animal 
is  old  enough  to  eat  ordinary  food  and  the  demand 
upon  the  mammary  glands  is  over  the  secretion  ceases. 

I  have  not  yet  described  the  process  of  development 
in  the  ovum  after  fertilization  because  there  is  not 
sufficient  resemblance  between  the  process  in  coldv 
blooded  and  warm-blooded  animals  (after  the  first 


REPRODUCTION  95 

stage  of  cell  division  is  over)  to  make  it  worth  while 
to  take  up  the  matter  before  reaching  this  point.  In 
all  mammals,  however,  the  process  is  the  same  and  the 
only  difference  between  them  and  birds  is  that  the 
nourishment  furnished  by  the  yolk  in  birds  is  supplied 
in  mammals  by  the  placenta. 

The  outlines  of  the  process  in  mammalia  are  as  fol- 
lows: The  ovum,  as  soon  as  it  is  fertilized,  begins 
a  process  known  as  segmentation,  that  is  to  say  of  re- 
peated cell  division.  The  one-celled  ovum  divides 
into  two,  the  two  new  cells  into  four,  the  four  into 
eight,  the  eight  into  sixteen  and  so  on  until,  finally, 
there  is  a  mass  of  cells  too  numerous  to  count.  After 
segmentation  has  reached  a  certain  point  the  cells 
separate  themselves  into  distinct  masses  and  those  con- 
tained in  each  mass  assume  special  characteristics. 
The  masses  then  proceed  to  develop  in  different  posi- 
tions and  upon  different  planes,  the  various  parts  of 
the  body  being  all  evolved  in  this  way.  The  study  of 
the  different  stages  in  the  development  of  either  the 
mammal  or  the  chick  *s  one  of  the  most  fascinating 
branches  of  scientific  investigation  and  has  been  fol- 
lowed with  great  minuteness,  but  it  is  far  too  complex 
to  be  described  here,  even  in  the  most  superficial  man- 
ner. All  that  can  be  said  is  that  every  organ  or  tissue 
of  the  body,  whether  of  the  human  being,  the  dog,  the 
bird,  or  any  other  animal  is  formed  by  the  multiplica- 
tion and  specialization  of  cells,  the  special  character- 


96  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

istics  of  each  kind  appearing  at  a  definite  point  in  its  de- 
velopment. What  is,  perhaps,  the  most  wonderful 
thing  in  the  whole  remarkable  process  is  that,  no  mat- 
ter whether  the  organism  is  low  or  high  in  the  scale  of 
life,  no  matter  whether  it  is  a  human  being  or  an 
ameba  or  anything  between,  the  first  step  is  always  the 
same,  that  is  the  division  of  one  cell  into  two.  In  the 
ameba  this  single  division  is  all;  in  the  human  being 
it  constitutes  merely  the  first  step  in  a  most  compli- 
cated process  occupying  a  period  of  months;  but  the 
fundamental  stage  is  the  same  in  both,  as  well  as  in 
every  form  of  life  between  them. 

The  process  of  reproduction  in  the  human  being  is 
the  same  in  all  essentials  as  it  is  in  the  dog  or  any 
other  mammal,  though  it  has,  of  course,  certain 
individual  peculiarities.  The  ovaries  in  women  are 
two  thick  oval  bodies,  about  the  size  of  bantams'  eggs, 
situated  in  the  extreme  lower  part  of  the  abdomen. 
Ovulation  takes  place  in  the  human  being  in  the  same 
manner  as  in  the  dog,  but  at  intervals  of  four  weeks. 
At  these  intervals  the  ovariesibecome  swollen  and  con- 
gested in  consequence  of  changes  taking  place  in  the 
ova  with  which  they  are  filled.  If  an  ovum  is  ready 
for  fertilization  it  approaches  the  surface  of  the  ovary 
and  th*e  thick  outer  capsule  breaks  down  at  that  point, 
after  which  it  is  caught  by  the  fringed  border  of  the 
oviduct,  passes  into  the  interior,  and  proceeds  down- 
ward. If  the  ovum  does  not  meet  with  any  sperm 


REPRODUCTION  97 

cells  as  it  passes  down,  it  dies  and  disappears,  but  if 
the  sperm  cells  are  introduced  into  the  vagina  at  that 
time,  one  of  them  will  probably  encounter  the  ovum  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  oviduct  and  fertilization  will  take 
place.  But  as  only  one  ovum  is  cast  off  at  each  ovula- 
tion,  fertilization  is  not  so  sure  to  take  place  in  the 
human  being  as  in  the  lower  mammals  where  several 
ova  are  thrown  off  at  a  time. 

The  fertilized  ovum  continues  to  descend  until  it  ar- 
rives in  the  uterus,  where  it  becomes  attached  to  the 
wall  and  is  nourished  by  the  placenta  in  the  manner  al- 
ready described,  the  only  difference  in  the  human  be- 
ing being  that  nine  months  are  required  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  embryo.  At  the  end  of  that  time  it 
is  expelled  by  muscular  contractions  as  in  the  dog, 
but  here  there  is  an  important  difference,  for  whereas 
in  animals  these  contractions  are  accompanied  by  only 
a  slight  amount  of  pain,  in  the  human  being  they  are 
attended  by  very  severe  suffering.  After  the  uterus  is 
emptied  of  its  contents,  it  gradually  returns  to  its 
former  size,  which  has,  of  course,  been  greatly  en- 
larged by  the  developing  embryo.  This  process  re- 
quires four  weeks  for  its  accomplishment  and  it  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  to  a  woman's  future  health 
that  it  should  not  be  interfered  with  by  over-exertion 
of  any  kind. 

The  great  peculiarity  of  the  reproductive  process  in 
human  beings,  which  distinguishes  it  from  the  process 


g8  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

in  any  other  of  the  mammalia,  is  that  it  is  accompan- 
ied by  the  function  known  as  menstruation.  This 
condition  is  peculiar  to  human  beings  though  it  exists 
in  a  modified  form  in  certain  monkeys.  Its  mechan- 
ism is  as  follows :  In  ovulation  the  swelling  and  con- 
gestion of  the  uterus  and  ovaries  is  very  well  marked 
and  under  its  influence  the  smaller  blood  vessels  in 
the  mucous  membrane  lining  the  uterus  break  down, 
causing  a  flow  of  blood  which  passes  out  of  the  vagina, 
becoming  mixed  with  more  or  less  mucous  secreted  by 
the  vaginal  glands  as  it  passes  through.  This  hemor- 
rhage, as  a  rule,  accompanies  every  ovulation  as  long 
As  the  ovum  is  not  fertilized,  recurring  at  intervals  of 
four  weeks  until  reproductive  activity  is  over,  which 
usually  happens  between  forty  and  fifty  years  of  age. 
If  fertilization  takes  place,  however,  ovulation  and 
menstruation  cease  until  after  delivery,  and  in  many 
cases  they  are  also  absent  as  long  as  the  child  is  de- 
pendent upon  its  mother  for  nourishment  and  the 
mammary  glands  are  secreting. 

The  cause  of  menstruation  is  not  yet  understood. 
All  that  we  do  know  in  regard  to  it  at  present  is  that  it 
is  in  some  way  connected  with  ovulation  and  that  it 
usually,  though  not  invariably  takes  place  at  the  same 
time.  Menstruation  exerts  a  marked  influence  upon 
the  lives  of  girls  and  women  and  its  relation  to  health 
is  of  such  importance  that  it  is  important  they  should 
understand  all  the  facts  in  regard  to  it.  Much  harm 


REPRODUCTION  99 

has  been  done  in  the  past  by  ignorance  of  the  real 
facts  concerning  it  and  even  more  by  profane  and 
old  wives'  fables  circulated  in  regard  to  it.  In  order, 
therefore,  that  the  facts  may  be  fully  understood  in 
their  right  relations,  the  next  chapter  is  devoted  ex- 
clusively to  the  subject. 


CHAPTER  V 

MENSTRUATION 

Age  of  first  menstruation  —  Influences  affecting  its  appear- 
ance —  Length  of  interval  between  periods  —  Duration  of 
periods  —  Amount  —  Care  of  health  during  menstruation 
—  Dysmenorrhea  —  Amenorrhea  —  Menorrhagia. 


MENSTRUATION  is  the  name  given  to  the  discharge 
of  mucous  and  blood  that  takes  place  from  the  uterus 
at  regular  intervals  during  the  reproductive  period  of 
a  woman's  life.  We  do  not  yet  understand  its  cause. 
All  that  we  do  know  about  it  at  present,  as  was  said 
in  the  last  chapter,  is  that  it  is  closely  associated  with 
the  process  of  ovulation  and  usually,  though  not  in- 
variably, takes  place  at  the  same  time. 

The  appearance  of  menstruation  shows  that  the  re- 
productive organs  have  reached  maturity  and  begun 
the  exercise  of  their  function.  There  is  no  fixed  age 
for  its  establishment,  or  rather  for  the  establishment 
of  ovulation,  which  it  represents,  since  they  both  de- 
pend upon  the  development  of  the  reproductive  system, 
and  this  is  influenced  by  various  causes.  Climate  and 
race  are  among  these  influences,  the  women  of  warm 

100 


MENSTRUATION  101 

southern  countries  coming  to  maturity,  as  a  rule,  ear- 
lier than  those  in  the  colder  northern  climates.  In  the 
United  States  the  average  age  for  menstruation  is  a 
little  over  fourteen,  but  there  are  many  cases  in 
which  it  is  earlier  or  later  than  this.  It  is  a  matter  of 
common  observation  that  menstruation  is  apt  to  ap- 
pear at  about  the  same  time  in  different  members  of 
the  same  family,  and  that  it  generally  begins  at  the 
same  age  in  mothers  and  daughters.  Consequently, 
whenever  it  has  been  unusually  early  or  late  in  one 
generation,  it  may  be  expected  to  be  so  in  the  next. 

But  of  all  the  conditions  that  influence  the  age  of 
first  menstruation,  stimulation  of  the  nervous  system 
and  the  state  of  the  general  health  are  the  most  power- 
ful. Any  circumstance  in  a  girl's  life  that  stimulates 
the  mind  or  the  emotions  is  likely  to  favor  early  men- 
struation. City  girls  generally  menstruate  earlier 
than  country  girls,  because  they  live  under  conditions 
of  higher  pressure  and  are  exposed  to  the  forcing  ef- 
fects of  constant  notice,  social  intercourse,  and  all  the 
pressure  of  an  over-full  life.  The  age  of  first  men- 
struation is  also  influenced  by  the  condition  of  the  gen- 
eral health,  that  is  to  say,  it  is  apt  to  be  delayed  in 
cases  where  the  health  is  below  the  proper  standard. 
In  girls  of  the  poorer  classes,  who  are  habitually  over- 
worked and  underfed,  it  almost  always  appears  later 
than  in  those  in  more  comfortable  circumstances. 

Owing  to  the  presence  or  absence  of  these  various 


102  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

influences,  the  appearance  of  menstruation  varies  over 
a  limit  of  some  years,  and  while  the  average  age  is 
about  fourteen  years,  it  may  appear  as  early  as  eleven 
or  as  late  as  eighteen,  without  any  reason  for  anxiety. 

Over-early  menstruation  is  a  matter  for  regret, 
however,  because  the  periodical  loss  to  the  blood-mak- 
ing system  is  a  drain  upon  the  strength,  and  even  more 
because  it  shows  a  premature  physical  development; 
but  there  is  no  reason  for  fancying  that  it  indicates 
the  presence  of  disease  in  the  organs  concerned.  On 
the  contrary,  the  early  establishment  of  menstruation 
shows  that  the  reproductive  powers  are  unusually 
strong  and  vigorous. 

Delay  in  first  menstruation  usually  proceeds  from 
depreciation  of  the  general  health,  resulting  in  retarded 
development  of  every  kind,  the  condition  making  itself 
known  by  pallor,  loss  of  flesh,  and  all  the  customary 
signs  of  impaired  health.  That  the  menstrual  func- 
tion should  not  appear  under  these  circumstances  is 
no  reason  for  uneasiness ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is  a  thing 
for  which  to  be  thankful,  because  it  saves  the  vital 
powers  from  a  tax  upon  their  resources  which  they  are 
not  in  a  condition  to  support.  The  absence  of  the 
function  may,  however,  be  taken  as  evidence  that  the 
general  health  requires  attention. 

There  are  a  few  rare  cases  where  menstruation  fails 
to  appear  at  the  customary  age,  because  the  reproduc- 
tive organs  are  imperfectly  developed.  When  this 


MENSTRUATION  103 

happens,  the  general  health  shows  no  sign  of  depre- 
ciation, in  fact,  it  may  be  actually  robust,  but  the  usual 
indications  of  approaching  physical  maturity  are  ab- 
sent. When  menstruation  does  not  appear  at  the  age 
at  which  it  might  reasonably  be  expected,  the  family 
doctor  ought  to  be  consulted,  but  there  is  no  occasion 
for  seeking  the  advice  of  a  specialist  (unless  the  doctor 
recommends  doing  so)  and  on  no  account  whatever 
should  medicine  be  given  to  stimulate  the  How.  It 
cannot  possibly  do  good  and  it  may  do  a  great  deal  of 
harm. 

There  is  only  one  condition  in  which  the  failure  of 
the  menstrual  function  to  appear  at  the  usual  age 
need  cause  anxiety  and  this  is  when  the  non-appear- 
ance is  due  to  the  presence  of  mechanical  obstruction. 
This  condition  is  of  extreme  rarity,  but  when  it  does 
exist  it  is  easily  recognized  and  should  never  be 
neglected.  It  may  be  suspected  when  attacks  of  pain 
in  the  abdomen  accompanied  by  headache  and,  per- 
haps, bleeding  at  the  nose,  appear  at  about  the  time 
menstruation  might  be  expected  and  recur  at  intervals 
corresponding,  in  a  rough  way,  to  the  periods.  The 
physical  signs  of  puberty  are  also  present.  A  special- 
ist ought  to  be  consulted  without  delay,  for  neglect 
may  result  in  serious  consequences  and  the  treatment 
should  be  carried  out  only  by  a  specialist. 

The  period  of  life  at  which  ovulation  and  men- 
struation begin  is  called  puberty.  It  is  the  most  im- 


104  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

portant  phase  in  the  development  of  girlhood  and  re- 
quires the  utmost  care,  both  physically  and  mentally. 
The  daily  life  at  this  time  should  be  as  regular  and 
healthy  as  possible.  Food  ought  to  be  abundant  and 
nourishing  but  simple,  and  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  al- 
low the  use  of  tea  or  coffee  or  any  other  stimulant 
habitually.  As  many  hours  of  the  day  as  possible 
should  be  passed  in  the  open  air.  A  girl  at  this  age 
(from  twelve  to  fifteen)  usually  spends  her  morn- 
ings in  school,  but  her  afternoons  ought  not  to  have 
any  claim  upon  them  which  interferes  with  her  being 
out  of  doors  until  dark.  If  she  goes  to  a  school  that 
has  two  sessions,  she  must  spend  all  the  time  between 
them,  not  occupied  with  dinner,  out  of  doors,  as  well 
as  any  daylight  that  remains  after  the  second  session 
closes.  Her  work  at  school  must  be  carefully 
watched,  and  if  she  shows  signs  of  more  than  passing 
fatigue,  it  must  be  lessened,  no  matter  whether  her 
standing  in  class  is  injured  or  not.  This  question  is 
fully  considered  in  the  discussion  of  education,  for  it 
is  one  of  great  importance.  Above  all  things,  there 
must  be  abundance  of  sleep.  This  is  a  point  upon 
which  a  girl's  necessities  are  not  always  appreciated. 
Everyone  agrees  that  a  child  ought  to  be  in*  bed  by  nine 
o'clock  at  the  latest,  but  unfortunately  there  is  a  com- 
mon impression  that  about  the  time  a  little  girl  enters 
what  are  called  her  "  teens,"  she  is  getting  old  enough 
to  do  with  less  sleep  and  may,  therefore,  go  to  bed 


MENSTRUATION  105 

<ater.  But  this  is  exactly  the  time  when  she  is  begin- 
ning to  grow  most  rapidly  and  her  physical  necessities 
as  regards  every  kind  of  nutrition  are  greater  than  at 
any  other  time  in  her  life.  Her  mind  is  developing 
in  all  directions,  and  most  significant  of  all,  her  sexual 
system  is  just  reaching  maturity  and  her  nervous  sys- 
tem is  more  or  less  disorganized  in  consequence.  In 
fact,  it  is  only  necessary  to  consider  these  things  to 
perceive  that  this  is  no  time  to  curtail  her  allowance 
of  sleep  any  more  than  her  allowance  of  food.  Her 
nervous  system,  in  particular  requires  frequent  periods 
of  repose,  because  if  it  is  unduly  stimulated,  there  is 
risk  of  over-early  maturity,  and  nothing  protects  the 
nervous  system  so  effectively  as  abundance  of  healthy 
sleep. 

Amusement  and  pleasure  are  not  only  desirable,  but 
really  necessary  at  this  time  in  life,  when  the  mind  and 
body  are  charged  with  activity ;  but  they  ought  to  be  of 
a  kind  suited  to  their  undeveloped  condition.  Enter- 
tainments that  keep  a  girl  up  until  midnight  and  later 
must  not  be  allowed  except  on  the  rarest  occasions. 
To  put  the  matter  in  a  few  words,  the  more  the  life  of 
a  girl  during  the  period  of  puberty  resembles  the  life 
of  the  child  before  the  period  began,  the  better  for 
body  and  mind.  She  cannot  of  course,  live  exactly  as 
she  did  in  her  childhood,  for  her  mind  is  developing 
fast  and  her  position  in  the  world  around  her  is  chang- 
ing rapidly ;  but  the  kindest  and  wisest  thing  that  can 


io6  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

be  done  for  her  is  to  encourage  her  to  do  so  as  far 
as  possible. 

The  general  health  at  puberty  is  sometimes  good ;  in 
other  cases  more  or  less  upset.  The  strain  upon  the 
physical  powers  caused  by  the  establishment  of  the  re- 
productive functions  is  more  in  some  instances  than 
can  be  borne  without  some  degree  of  failure.  This 
temporary  weakness  of  the  bodily  powers  takes  vari- 
ous forms,  according  to  individual  constitution.  The 
only  thing  which  can  be  done  is  to  exercise  patience 
and  good  sense.  All  the  different  means  of  improv- 
ing the  general  health,  including  medical  advice,  should 
be  tried,  and  this  being  done,  it  is  safe  to  trust  that 
everything  will  come  right  in  the  end. 

From  time  immemorial  the  interval  between  the 
menstrual  periods,  that  is  to  say,  between  the  periods 
of  ovulation,  has  been  accepted  as  twenty-eight  days, 
or  one  lunar  month.  This  apparent  connection  be- 
tween the  return  of  the  function  and  the  changes  of 
the  moon  has  caused  the  belief  among  uncivilized  pe>f>- 
ple  that  it  is  under  the  moon's  influence.  In  a  few 
rare  cases  the  regular  interval  is  more  or  less  than 
four  weeks,  but  these  are  most  unusual.  In  one 
analysis  of  a  thousand  cases  of  menstruation  i.i  healthy 
women,  it  has  been  found  that  the  interval  was  twenty- 
eight  days  in  942  cases,  while  out  of  the  remaining  58 
the  interval  was  twenty-one  days  in  more  than  half. 
In  other  words,  the  twenty-eight-day  type  existed  in 


MENSTRUATION  107 

over  nine-tenths  of  the  cases,  and  of  the  variations 
upon  it,  the  twenty-one-day  type  was  by  far  the  most 
frequent. 

Four  weeks  then,  may  be  accepted  as  the  regular 
interval.  If  another  type  is  established  in  the  begin- 
ning and  continues  regularly  without  disturbance  of 
health,  it  is  normal  in  that  particular  instance ;  but  such 
exceptions  are  very  rare.  In  this  respect,  as  in  the  age 
of  first  menstruation,  family  peculiarities  assert  them- 
selves strongly,  and  any  variation  from  the  established 
custom  in  one  generation  will  probably  appear  in  the 
next. 

During  the  first  years  of  menstruation,  the  interval 
between  the  periods  is  apt  to  be  irregular,  because  the 
development  of  the  organs  is  not  complete  nor  is  the 
function  fully  established.  Sometimes  these  early  ir- 
regularities are  considerable.  For  example,  after  the 
first  period,  there  may  be  no  return  of  the  function  for 
six  months,  or  even  a  year.  Permanent  regularity  is 
sometimes  established  in  the  course  of  a  few  months; 
in  other  cases  it  takes  two  or  three  years;  in  a  few 
instances  the  function  is  perfectly  regular  from  the 
beginning.  After  regularity  is  once  established  there 
ought  not  to  be  more  than  a  few  days'  variation  in  one 
direction  or  the  other.  But  trivial  irregularities  of  a 
day  or  two  are  not  at  all  uncommon  and  there  is  no 
reason  whatever  for  uneasiness  on  their  account. 
Their  cause  is  not  understood,  but  it  probably  lies  in 


io8  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

some  influence  of  the  central  nervous  system.  With 
some  women  these  irregularities  occur  constantly  all 
through  menstrual  life;  with  others,  the  function  re- 
turns regularly  almost  to  the  hour  as  long  as  it  con- 
tinues. Some  of  the  books  written  on  the  subject  for 
the  general  public  lay  far  too  much  stress  upon  the 
necessity  of  absolute  regularity  to  health,  which  is  a 
pity,  because  it  is  apt  to  excite  needless  anxiety  in  re- 
gard to  trivial  variations. 

In  married  women  menstruation  ceases,  as  described 
in  the  last  chapter,  whenever  an  ovum  is  fertilized, 
and  does  not  return  until  after  delivery. 

The  duration  of  the  menstrual  period  differs  in  dif- 
ferent women,  that  is  to  say,  each  woman  has  her  own 
individual  standard  which  may  be  several  days  longer 
or  shorter  than  that  of  another  woman.  The  time 
may  be  as  short  as  twenty-four  hours  and  as  long  as 
seven  days.  But  both  of  these  types  are  extreme  and 
exist  in  only  a  few  cases.  The  usual  time  is  from  two 
to  six  days,  four  to  five  days  being  the  most  common 
type.  Whatever  duration  is  established  in  each  indi- 
vidual instance  is  the  proper  thing  for  that  particular 
girl.  Irregularity  in  the  length  of  the  period  is  of 
more  consequence  than  irregularity  in  the  intervals 
between  them,  and  merits  more  attention. 

The  amount  of  the  menstrual  discharge  also  varies 
greatly  in  different  women,  what  is  normal  for  one  be- 
ing excessive  for  another,  or  deficient  for  a  third. 


MENSTRUATION  109 

One  fact,  however,  which  is  the  same  in  all  cases,  is 
that  the  greater  part  of  the  flow  is  during  the  first  two 
days,  so  that  there  is  not  so  much  difference  as  might 
be  imagined  between  cases  lasting  three  or  four,  and 
those  lasting  six  or  seven  days.  To  estimate  the  exact 
amount  of  menstruation  is  very  difficult;  in  fact  it  is 
impossible  to  do  so  with  absolute  accuracy,  but  the 
common  way  of  estimating  by  the  number  of  protec- 
tives  used,  rough  as  it  is,  answers  the  purpose  fairly 
well.  Speaking  generally,  it  may  be  said  that  if  more 
than  two  in  twenty-four  hours  are  really  needed,  the 
flow  is  too  free ;  but  there  are  many  exceptions  to  this 
standard  with  women  in  perfect  health.  The  import- 
ant point,  however,  is  not  so  much  the  actual  amount 
as  the  presence  of  increase  or  decrease  from  estab- 
lished custom  in  any  individual  case,  and  this  fact  is 
easily  determined  by  the  usual  mode  of  estimating. 
If  the  number  of  protectives  employed  is  more  than  is 
customary  for  one  or  two  successive  periods,  the  rea- 
son for  the  change  should  be  investigated.  In  young 
girls  it  will  almost  always  be  found  in  some  disturb- 
ance of  the  general  health. 

Care  of  the  general  health  at  the  menstrual  period 
during  girlhood  is  most  important,  especially  while 
the  function  is  becoming  established,  but  this  does  not 
mean  that  it  is  necessary  for  a  healthy  girl  to  upset 
the  usual  routine  of  her  life.  Theoretically,  of  course, 
a  girl  ought  not  to  know  any  difference,  as  far  as  her 


no  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

sensations  are  concerned,  between  the  menstrual 
periods  and  the  intervals  between  them,  but  practi- 
cally such  a  state  of  things  is  uncommon,  especially 
among  Americans.  The  rush  and  pressure  of  our 
modern  life,  with  all  its  varied  demands  upon  the  in- 
telligence and  the  senses,  has  made  our  nervous  sys- 
tems more  sensitive  than  they  ought  to  be,  even  when 
the  general  health  is  good,  and  as  a  result,  the  process 
of  ovulation  is  generally  accompanied  by  more  or  less 
nervous  excitement,  which  expresses  itself  in  pain 
and  discomfort  associated  with  menstruation.  The 
amount  and  the  nature  of  the  disturbance  vary  with 
different  persons,  and  even  with  the  same  person  at 
different  times,  but  not  many  women  escape  alto- 
gether. The  proportion  of  cases  entirely  free  from 
suffering  or  discomfort  has  been  recently  investigated 
by  a  German  woman,  Miss  Tobler,  who  found  that  out 
of  one  thousand  women  and  girls  whom  she  ques- 
tioned on  the  subject,  only  sixteen  per  cent  were  alto- 
gether free  from  discomfort  of  any  kind. 

The  disturbance  accompanying  menstruation  may 
be  local,  that  is,  situated  in  the  region  of  the  uterus 
and  ovaries,  or  it  may  be  reflex,  that  is,  reflected  to 
some  other  part  of  the  body.  It  may  vary  from  the 
most  trivial  discomfort  to  acute  suffering.  In  what 
might  be  considered  an  average  case,  there  is  more  or 
less  pain  in  the  lower  abdomen,  extending  down  the 
limbs,  with  languor  and  nervous  irritability,  and,  pos- 


MENSTRUATION  in 

sibly,  some  headache.  Usually  the  disturbance  begins 
a  little  before  menstruation  appears  and  passes  off  as 
the  flow,  which  is  apt  to  be  scanty  at  first,  becomes 
more  free.  Sometimes,  instead  of  local  pain,  there  is 
severe  headache  and  marked  excitement  or  else  de- 
pression. 

In  a  normal  case  these  symptoms  are  not  severe 
enough  to  incapacitate  a  girl;  indeed,  if  they  are,  the 
case  is  not  normal.  Care  is  required  at  the  periods 
mainly  from  motives  of  prevention,  for,  as  all  the  dis- 
comforts attending  the  function  are  due  to  disturbance 
of  the  central  nervous  system,  it  is  the  nervous  system 
which  requires  relief  from  strain  at  these  times,  and 
if  period  after  period  passes  without  any  measures  be- 
ing taken  for  rest  and  relief,  the  nerves  will  almost 
certainly  become  unduly  sensitive,  after  which  the 
suffering  at  the  periods  is  very  severe.  A  girl  her- 
self is  not,  of  course,  sufficiently  informed  at  the 
time  menstruation  begins  to  comprehend  the  necessity 
for  care,  nor  the  best  means  of  taking  it;  it  is  her 
mother  upon  whom  this  responsibility  must  rest.  But 
sometimes  it  happens  that,  with  the  best  intentions,  a 
mother  may  err  from  a  lack  of  the  requisite  knowl- 
edge. She  may  advise  too  little  care,  because  she  is 
honestly  persuaded  that  it  is  best  to  take  as  little  no- 
tice of  the  matter  as  possible;  but  more  often,  she  will 
go  to  the  other  extreme  and  pay  too  much  attention 
to  it. 


H2  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

An  old-fashioned  idea,  which  possesses  considerable 
hold  in  some  quarters,  is  that  the  first  day  of  the  period 
should  always  be  passed  in  bed  even  by  girls  who  are 
altogether  free  from  suffering.  Such  a  thing  is  pos- 
sible, of  course,  only  with  people  of  leisure,  but  it  has 
a  much  stronger  hold  among  them  than  it  deserves. 
The  public,  however,  can  hardly  be  blamed  for  lending 
itself  to  the  idea,  when  it  originated  with  the  medical 
profession.  It  is  only  within  comparatively  recent 
years  that  the  diseases  peculiar  to  women  and  the  con- 
ditions associated  with  their  reproductive  organs  have 
been  understood,  and  the  first  effect  of  advancing 
knowledge  upon  the  subject  was  to  give  physicians  an 
exaggerated  idea  of  the  necessity  for  caution  in  all 
such  matters,  which  very  shortly  extended  itself  to  the 
laity.  Out  of  this  mistaken  view  grew  the  impression 
that  the  only  way  in  which  menstruation  could  be 
performed  normally  and  without  distressing  suffering 
was  for  every  woman  to  spend  at  any  rate  the  first  part 
of  the  period  in  absolute  quiet  and,  if  possible,  in  bed, 
especially  during  girlhood,  when  the  function  was  just 
established.  But  as  our  knowledge  of  ovulation  and 
menstruation  developed,  it  became  more  and  more 
plain  that  in  this  respect  our  zeal  has  outrun  discretion. 
We  know  that  menstruation  is  a  normal  function,  fill- 
ing a  natural  place  in  the  life  of  women,  and  that  in 
simpler  and  more  primitive  conditions  of  life  it  is 
free  from  any  discomfort  whatever.  It  is  foolish, 


MENSTRUATION  113 

therefore,  to  treat  it  as  something  approaching  illness. 
Isolation  and  semi-invalidism  are  almost  certain  to  do 
harm;  they  are  greatly  to  be  regretted  in  cases  where 
they  are  made  necessary  by  severe  suffering,  and  to 
inflict  them  arbitrarily  upon  a  healthy  girl  is  a  risk  to 
her  health  and  her  disposition.  The  essential  point  in 
the  care  of  menstruation  is  to  remember  that  it  is  asso- 
ciated with  a  certain  amount  of  nervous  excitability, 
and  therefore  it  is  advisable  to  keep  the  nervous  sys- 
tem as  free  as  possible  from  strain  or  excitement. 

There  is  no  reason  why  a  healthy  girl  should  not  go 
to  school,  at  any  rate  after  the  function  is  fully  es- 
tablished, nor  that  she  should  not  walk  there,  if  she  is 
in  the  habit  of  doing  so  and  the  distance  is  not  great. 
But  her  school  work  ought  to  be  carefully  watched  and 
it  may  be  better  to  keep  her  at  home  for  a  few  periods 
while  the  function  is  becoming  established.  Teachers 
are  usually  willing  and  even  anxious  to  save  their  pu- 
pils at  such  times, —  the  difficulty  lies  with  the  girls 
themselves,  who  are  afraid  of  losing  standing  in  their 
work.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  explain  carefully  to  a  girl 
how  much  good  a  little  care  at  these  times  will  do  for 
her  future  comfort  and  health,  to  say  nothing  of  her 
ultimate  standing  in  the  school.  Many  a  girl  has  had 
to  leave  school  altogether  in  her  last  year,  because  she 
would  not  take,  or  would  not  submit  to  the  necessary 
precautions  during  her  earlier  years  there.  Examina- 
tions at  school  and  at  college  cannot  usually  be  avoided, 


114  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

but  they  happen  only  occasionally ;  the  great  point  is  to 
relieve  habitual  strain  and  high  pressure. 

But  while  the  customary  amount  of  exertion  at  the 
menstrual  periods  may  not  be  harmful,  it  is  not  the 
time  to  undertake  any  extra  effort,  whether  mental  or 
physical.  On  the  contrary,  the  customary  burden 
should,  if  possible,  be  lightened.  Most  girls  can  cal- 
culate the  time  of  the  next  period  with  sufficient  ac- 
curacy to  avoid  making  engagements  that  will  involve 
over  fatigue  or  excitement,  and  if  they  cannot  do  so, 
or  claims  turn  up  unexpectedly,  they  ought  to  be  post- 
poned. Girls  who  lead  leisure  lives  ought  to  lie  down 
for  an  hour  or  two  in  the  afternoon  and  take  a  nap, 
if  they  can.  A  girl  who  is  working  for  herself,  can- 
not often  do  this,  but  if  she  will  go  to  bed  an  hour  or 
two  earlier  than  usual  while  menstruation  lasts,  it  will 
do  nearly  as  well.  Violent  or  prolonged  exertion  is 
always  objectionable.  Athletic  sports  had  better  be 
given  up,  especially  hockey  and  basket-ball.  There 
are  some  strong,  vigorous  girls  who  can  keep  up  these 
amusements  without  suffering  from  doing  so,  but  not 
many  of  them  are  equal  to  such  a  practice,  and  no  mat- 
ter how  strong  a  girl  is,  she  ought  not  to  play  in  a 
match  game,  not  only  because  the  physical  exertion  is 
too  great,  but  because  the  excitement  arid  nervous 
strain  involved  in  the  competition  are  the  most  injuri- 
ous things  she  can  possibly  endure. 

I  repeat  that  the  essential  thing  in  the  hygiene  of 


MENSTRUATION  115 

the  menstrual  period  is  that  the  burden  of  life,  whether 
in  mental  or  physical  relations,  shall  be  lightened  in 
one  way  or  another,  especially  during  the  earlier  part 
of  the  time.  On  the  principle  that  everyone  knows 
where  his  own  shoe  pinches,  each  girl  can  decide  better 
than  anyone  else  can  for  her,  just  what  particular  pur- 
suit tries  or  fatigues  her  most.  Whatever  this  pur- 
suit may  be,  it  is  what  should  be  given  up  or  modified 
for  the  time  being. 

One  curious  fact  in  regard  to  this  matter  is  that 
girls  who  are  ready  to  believe  and  acquiesce  in  the  ne- 
cessity for  bodily  rest  and  relief  are  often  hard  to  con- 
vince as  to  the  need  for  mental  relaxation.  The  idea 
that  concessions  should  be  made  from  the  mental  side 
is  apparently  hard  to  instill ;  nevertheless,  it  is  most  im- 
portant that  it  should  be  acquired,  for  not  only  does 
health  suffer  in  the  long  run  from  mental  strain  and 
effort  during  menstruation,  but  mental  work  does. 
The  majority  of  girls  will  find  that  the  effect  of  men- 
struation is  apt  to  show  in  their  work,  even  when  they 
are  free  from  suffering  or  marked  discomfort  and  a 

» 

candid  girl  will  admit  the  fact.  The  memory  is  not 
quite  so  good,  the  judgment  is  disturbed  in  its  bal- 
ance, the  temper  is  a  trifle  irritable,  the  emotions  less 
under  control.  All  these  things  point  plainly  to  the  ne- 
cessity for  care,  and  experience  has  shown  that  if 
allowance  is  not  made  in  these  things,  they  will  grow 
and  increase  as  the  years  go  on,  until  the  discomforts 


Ii6  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

which  seem  so  trifling  at  first  become  a  serious  burdea 
Protection  from  weather  and  from  changes  of  tem- 
perature while  menstruation  lasts  is  important,  for  any 
sudden  chill  to  the  surface  is  liable  to  check  the  flow, 
and  the  suppression  may  be  accompanied  by  a  great 
deal  of  suffering  at  the  time,  to  say  nothing  of  possi- 
ble bad  effects  in  the  future.  Little  risks  in  the  way 
of  insufficient  clothing  or  exposure,  which,  under  or- 
dinary circumstances  may  be  allowable,  for  sufficient 
reason,  ought  not  to  be  taken  at  this  time ;  in  particular 
no  one  should  ever  sit  with  wet  feet  or  wet  clothing. 

There  was  an  old-fashioned  idea  that  a  cold  bath 
must  never  be  taken  during  the  menstrual  period,  be- 
cause it  would  check  the  flow  and  cause  suppression 
with  all  its  attendant  evils;  but  the  belief  is  entirely 
a  mistaken  one.  There  is  certainly  danger  in  pro- 
longed exposure  to  cold  or  damp,  but  the  brisk  reaction 
following  a  cold  bath,  properly  taken,  prevents  any 
danger.  A  plunge  into  a  tub  full  of  cold  water  is 
not  always  safe,  though  many  girls  take  such  baths 
without  the  slightest  ill  effects;  but  a  cold  sponge 
bath  followed  by  friction  with  a  coarse  towel,  in  the 
manner  described  elsewhere,  can  be  taken  by  any  one. 
Sometimes,  however,  a  daily  warm  bath  is  more  ac- 
ceptable and  relieves  discomfort  more  than  a  cold 
sponge.  At  least  twice  a  day  the  parts  exposed  to  the 
menstrual  discharge  ought  to  be  washed  with  warm 
water  and  soap,  and  as  soon  as  the  function  is  over 


MENSTRUATION  117 

a  full  tub  bath  of  warm  water  ought  always  to  be 
taken. 

Many  women  are  in  the  habit  of  using  a  vaginal 
douche  after  menstruation  ceases,  but  it  is  a  mistake 
to  teach  young  girls  to  do  so.  It  is  not  at  all  neces- 
sary, for  external  cleanliness  can  be  maintained  with- 
out it  and  the  interior  of  the  vagina  will  take  care  of 
itself.  To  introduce  anything,  no  matter  how  care- 
fully, into  the  vagina  is  undesirable,  for  the  mem- 
brane at  the  entrance  is  liable  to  be  injured  or  stretched 
in  doing  so. 

The  diet  during  menstruation  should  be  simple  and 
unstimulating.  Any  kind  of  food  that  is  suitable  at 
other  times  is  suitable  then.  It  would  not  be  worth 
while  to  mention  the  subject,  were  it  not  that  there  are 
various  fanciful  ideas  abroad  as  to  the  effect  of  certain 
articles  of  food  upon  the  function.  There  is  no  evi- 
dence whatever  to  support  these  theories.  Some  girls 
suffer  from  indigestion  during  menstruation  and  when 
this  happens,  the  diet  must  of  course  be  adapted  to 
the  necessities  of  the  case. 

Finally,  one  most  important  point  in  the  care  of  the 
health  during  the  menstrual  period  is,  regulation  of  the 
bowels.  A  great  deal  of  discomfort  and  even  actual 
suffering  arises  from  constipation  at  such  times,  and  if 
the  bowels  are  not  kept  open,  comfort  during  men- 
struation cannot  be  expected.  Sometimes  a  full  dose 
of  some  saline  laxative  such  as  Hunyadi  Janos  or 


ii8  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

Apenta  water,  taken  just  before  menstruation  is  due, 
or  if  that  is  impossible,  immediately  upon  its  appear- 
ance, will  relieve  discomfort  or  pain  altogether. 

II 

We  must  now  proceed  to  consider  the  various  ways 
in  which  the  menstrual  function  can  depart  from  nor- 
mal and  the  effects  of  such  departure.  The  most 
common  of  all  such  disturbances  is  the  presence  of  the 
condition  known  as  dysmenorrhea,  or  painful  men- 
struation. It  is  not  altogether  easy,  however,  to  say 
exactly  what  constitutes  dysmenorrhea.  If  the  men- 
strual function  took  place  in  general  without  any  pain 
whatever,  the  presence  of  suffering  in  any  degree 
would  make  the  necessary  distinction ;  but,  as  a  certain 
amount  of  pain  seems  to  be  natural  and  inevitable  un- 
der our  present  conditions  of  life  in  most  cases,  the 
definition  must  rest  upon  some  other  basis.  It  has 
been  proposed  to  consider  dysmenorrhea  present  when- 
ever the  suffering  is  so  severe  as  to  keep  a  girl  in  bed, 
but  this  is  a  most  misleading  distinction.  A  girl  who 
has  nothing  to  do  but  to  consider  her  own  comfort, 
will  stay  in  bed,  when  another  who  must  work  for  her 
living  or  provide  for  the  comfort  of  others,  will  man- 
age to  keep  up  and  about,  though  she  is  suffering  quite 
as  much  or  more.  Again,  an  indolent  fanciful  girl, 
who  rather  enjoys  being  an  invalid,  will  yield  to  a 
comparative  trifling  amount  of  pain,  which  a  sensible 


MENSTRUATION  119 

determined  girl  who  dislikes  sickness,  will  disregard. 
Of  course  no  doubt  exists  in  cases  where  the  pain  is 
severe  and  prolonged;  in  other,  more  doubtful  cases, 
the  only  way  is  to  consider  all  the  circumstances  in 
each  instance  and  form  an  opinion  upon  the  merits  of 
the  case. 

The  first  thing  to  be  understood  about  dysmenor- 
rhea  is  that  it  does  not  necessarily  indicate  the  pres- 
ence of  any  disease  or  displacement  in  the  uterus  or 
ovaries.  In  fact,  the  number  of  cases  of  dysmenor- 
rhea  in  which  such  disease  is  present  is  comparatively 
small.  Of  one  thousand  patients  treated  at  the 
Johns  Hopkins  Hospital  for  dysmenorrhea,  only  a 
little  over  a  quarter  had  any  actual  disease  or  displace- 
ment. Moreover,  not  only  can  menstruation  be  ac- 
companied by  the  most  extreme  suffering  without  the 
presence  of  any  abnormal  condition  of  the  organs  con- 
cerned, but  advanced  disease  or  marked  displacement 
can  exist  without  the  presence  of  any  menstrual  suf- 
fering whatever.  The  more  we  learn,  in  fact,  about 
menstruation  the  more  plainly  do  we  see  that  the  suf- 
fering associated  with  it  is  an  expression  of  nervous 
irritability  excited  by  the  presence  of  ovulation.  Its 
presence  or  absence,  therefore,  depends,  not  upon  the 
condition  of  the  organs  themselves,  but  upon  the  con- 
dition of  the  central  nervous  system. 

There  are  two  distinct  types  of  menstrual  pain. 
One  of  them,  which  is  the  commoner  of  the  two,  is  a 


120  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

sharp,  cramp-like  pain  in  the  lower  abdomen,  coming 
on  in  paroxysms,  which  last  for  a  minute  or  two  and 
then  subside,  to  return  after  a  brief  interval.  This 
form  of  pain  begins  as  soon  as  menstruation  appears, 
or  else  just  before  it  does  so,  and  subsides  gradually  as 
the  flow  becomes  fully  established,  disappearing  alto- 
gether in  the  course  of  a  few  hours  or,  at  most,  by  the 
end  of  the  first  day.  In  the  other  variety  of  dys- 
menorrhea,  the  pain  is  of  a  dull,  diffused  nature, 
spreading  out  through  the  back  and  down  the  thighs. 
It  begins,  as  a  rule,  a  day  or  two  before  menstruation 
and  lasts  all  through  the  period,  not  being  relieved  by 
the  establishment  of  the  flow  to  the  same  extent  as 
the  other  variety.  Sometimes  both  kinds  of  suffering 
occur  in  the  same  case,  the  spasmodic  form  being 
added,  as  it  were,  to  the  duller  one.  Both  of  them  are 
apt  to  be  accompanied  by  nervous  manifestations  of 
different  kinds,  which  show  how  greatly  the  nervous 
system  is  involved.  Headache  is  the  commonest  of 
the  nervous  symptoms,  and  also  languor,  with  ex- 
haustion and  depression  of  spirits  or  else  nervous  ir- 
ritability. 

But,  in  addition  to  these  symptoms  which  have 
come  to  be  accepted  as  characteristic,  there  is  hardly 
an  organ  or  function  of  the  body  which  is  not  some- 
times affected  by  menstruation.  Nausea  and  vomiting 
are  not  at  all  uncommon,  as  well  as  pain  in  the  joints, 
resembling  rheumatism  or  gout.  Attacks  of  sick 


MENSTRUATION  121 

headache,  if  they  are  constitutional,  are  apt  to  occur  at 
this  time.  The  eyesight  is  often  temporarily  affected, 
and  eruptions  of  the  skin  are  quite  common.  In  short, 
there  is  no  part  or  organ  of  the  body  which  is  not 
sometimes  affected  by  the  central  disturbance  that  ac- 
companies the  periodical  return  of  the  reproductive 
function  and  the  process  of  ovulation  in  which  the  lat- 
ter culminates. 

The  point  of  most  importance  in  dysmenorrhea,  of 
course,  is  the  question  of  its  relief,  both  temporarily 
and  permanently,  and  this  involves  another  question 
also  of  importance,  namely,  whether  local  treatment 
by  a  specialist  is  necessary  to  that  end.  I  may  say 
here  once  and  for  all,  that  in  the  case  of  a  young  girl 
local  treatment  is  hardly  ever  necessary  and  that  every 
expedient  for  relief  ought  to  be  tried  before  having 
recourse  to  it.  This  is  a  point  which  cannot  be  too 
strongly  emphasized.  We  know  that  the  condition  of 
the  nervous  system  is  the  essential  factor  in  dysmenor- 
rhea, and  we  know  that  the  condition  can  exist  in  the 
most  severe  form  without  any  disease  or  displacement 
whatever.  Therefore,  it  is  certainly  only  reasonable 
that  every  other  means  of  relief  should  be  tried  be- 
fore resorting  to  one  which  is  open  to  serious  objec- 
tions. 

Of  all  the  various  measures  of  relieving  dysmenor- 
rhea at  the  command  of  the  patient  herself  or  her 
friends,  by  far  the  most  important  is  rest.  It  is  just 


122  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

as  important  that  a  girl  who  suffers  from  painful  men- 
struation should  remain  in  bed  during  part,  at  least,  of 
the  period,  as  that  a  healthy  one,  with  no  more  than 
trivial  discomfort,  should  not. 

Every  case  of  dysmenorrhea  ought  to  be  kept  in 
bed  as  long  as  the  pain  continues,  whether  it  is  only 
twenty-four  hours  or  a  week.  It  is  a  good  thing  to 
begin  to  rest,  whenever  possible,  a  little  before  the  flow 
appears.  No  employment,  except  the  lightest  kind  of 
reading,  should  be  allowed. 

If  the  general  health  is  at  all  poor,  and  it  often  is, 
everything  should  be  done  to  build  it  up,  with  fresh 
air,  exercise,  tonics,  and  all  the  various  measures  that 
good  sense  can  suggest.  Sometimes  the  appetite  is  so 
poor  that  a  girl  really  cannot  eat  enough  at  her  regu- 
lar meals  for  her  needs,  and  when  this  happens  she 
ought  to  have  something  light  and  nourishing,  such  as 
a  glass  of  milk  or  some  bouillon  between  them,  as  well 
as  on  going  to  bed  at  night.  Abundance  of  sleep  is 
really  the  most  important  remedy,  next  to  rest  at  the 
periods.  A  girl  suffering  from  dysmenorrhea  ought 
never  to  be  out  of  bed  later  than  nine  o'clock,  unless 
she  takes  a  long  nap  in  the  afternoon.  During  the 
regular  rest  at  the  periods  she  ought  to  sleep  all  that 
she  possibly  can.  Late  hours  and  excitement  must  be 
carefully  avoided.  A  school  girl  with  dysmenorrhea 
should  never  be  sent  to  school  during  the  period,  or  if 
the  period  is  a  long  one  and  the  pain  does  not  last  all 


MENSTRUATION  123 

through  it,  not  for  the  first  three  days ;  neither  should 
she  be  allowed,  far  less  encouraged,  to  undertake  any- 
thing in  connection  with  her  studies  which  involves  her 
in  competitive  efforts. 

The  bowels  should  be  open,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
periods  they  should  be  a  little  relaxed.  This  is  a 
point  of  the  greatest  importance.  Many  young  girls 
are  extremely  careless  in  regard  to  the  condition  of 
the  bowels  and  will  often  declare  that  they  have  no 
trouble  at  all  in  this  respect,  when  they  are  really  suf- 
fering severely  from  constipation,  not  because  they 
intend  to  deceive,  but  because  they  are  so  ignorant 
and  careless  that  they  really  do  not  know  what  the  true 
state  of  things  is.  Change  of  climate  often  has  a 
great  effect  upon  dysmenorrhea  through  its  effect  upon 
the  nervous  system. 

If  the  regimen  prescribed  is  faithfully  kept  up,  par- 
ticularly the  rest  in  bed,  for  some  months  or  a  year, 
there  will,  in  many  cases,  be  a  most  marked  improve- 
ment, and  in  not  a  few,  complete  recovery.  It  may  be 
necessary,  however,  to  keep  up  the  rest  part  of  the 
treatment  even  after  the  suffering  is  relieved,  because 
its  abandonment  is  followed  by  a  return  of  the  pain. 

The  question  of  temporary  relief  while  the  more 
permanent  treatment  is  being  carried  out  deserves  a 
word  or  two.  Heat,  applied  both  externally  and  in- 
ternally, is  the  surest  means  of  relieving  the  pain.  Hot 
water-bags,  or  hot  sand-bags  applied  over  the  seat 


124  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

of  pain  is  the  best  external  means.  Another  excel- 
lent remedy,  which  combines  heat  and  counter-irrita- 
tion, is  a  mustard  plaster  over  the  lower  abdomen.  A 
hot  mustard  foot-bath  often  does  good,  especially 
when  there  is  much  headache.  It  should  be  made  with 
two  teaspoonsful  of  mustard  to  a  tub-full  of  water  as 
hot  as  can  be  borne,  and  more  hot  water  should  be 
added  from  time  to  time  when  the  temperature  of  the 
water  begins  to  go  down. 

Hot  drinks  often  give  relief.  Tea  and  coffee,  which 
had  better  not  be  used  habitually  in  girlhood,  are 
sometimes  a  great  resource  at  these  times,  for  the  com- 
bination of  heat  and  mild  stimulation  does  a  great  deal 
of  good  to  a  person  not  accustomed  to  them.  Alco- 
holic stimulants  must  never  be  taken  except  at  the 
doctor's  advice.  There  is  a  common  impression,  es- 
pecially among  uneducated  persons,  that  hot  whisky 
and  water  or  hot  gin  and  water,  particularly  the  lat- 
ter, are  the  best  possible  remedies,  but  the  idea  ought 
to  be  systematically  discouraged.  To  use  alcohol  for 
the  relief  of  any  pain  that  returns  at  stated  intervals, 
is  never  without  risk. 

There  are  hardly  any  medicines  which  ought  to  be 
taken  without  a  physician's  order.  Opium,  in  particu- 
lar, must  never  be  used  in  any  form  unless  so  ordered. 
If  a  girl  is  suffering  sufficiently  to  require  opium,  she 
is  suffering  severely  enough  to  need  a  doctor,  and  he 
can  take  the  responsibility  of  giving  it.  The  use  of 


MENSTRUATION  125 

i 

patent  remedies  whose  contents  are  unknown  is  ob- 
jectionable, because  a  great  many  of  them  contain  alco- 
hol, opium,  or  cocain.  Bromide  of  potash  is  almost 
the  only  thing  which  can  safely  be  used  without  a 
doctor's  advice.  It  may  be  taken  in  powders  of  twenty 
grains  each,  dissolved  in  hot  water  and  repeated  in 
two  hours.  Sometimes  it  gives  considerable  relief, 
especially  where  there  is  much  headache  and  nervous 
excitability.  The  compound  mixture  of  helonin,  com- 
monly known  as  "  green  mixture "  from  its  color, 
may  also  be  taken  in  doses  of  half  a  teaspoon ful  in  hot 
water. 

'  If  rest  and  hygienic  measures  are  tried  for  some 
time  without  relief,  it  is  a  question  whether  to  go  on 
longer  or  to  seek  the  advice  of  a  specialist.  It  is  just 
as  foolish  and  wrong  to  defer  this  measure  from  pro- 
crastination or  false  modesty  as  to  rush  into  it  un- 
necessarily. Each  case  must  be  considered  in  all 
possible  lights  before  a  decision  is  reached.  The  main 
points  to  be  considered  are  whether  the  suffering  in- 
creases with  each  period,  whether  there  is  any  pain 
between  the  periods,  and  whether  the  general  health  is 
becoming  depreciated.  If  these  points  are  all  present, 
particularly  if  the  pain  is  not  confined  to  the  periods 
but  is  more  or  less  present  all  the  time,  the  possibility 
of  some  local  trouble  is  greater  than  if  they  are  not. 
Another  point  that  bears  upon  the  question  is  the  pres- 
ence of  a  whitish  or  yellowish  discharge  from  the 

10 


126  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

vagina  during  the  intervals  between  the  periods,  which 
is  always  a  symptom  of  importance. 

If  then  the  case,  judged  by  these  indications,  is 
growing  no  better,  or  if  circumstances  make  inval- 
idism  at  regularly  recurring  intervals  impossible,  ac- 
tive measures  had  better  be  taken.  The  best  plan  is  to 
consult  a  specialist  at  once,  if  possible.  A  general 
practitioner  should  not,  at  any  rate,  be  allowed  to 
make  a  local  examination,  for  it  is  impossible  to  feel 
secure  unless  it  is  done  by  a  specialist,  and  if  he  is 
to  be  resorted  to  in  the  end,  there  is  no  use  in  taking 
an  inefficient  measure  in  the  beginning.  It  may  not 
be  inappropriate  to  say  a  word  here  as  to  the  choice 
of  a  specialist. 

To  be  guided  in  the  selection  by  nothing  better  than 
the  advice  of  friends,  each  of  whom  wants  to  recom- 
mend someone  for  whom  she  has  a  preference,  is  a 
great  mistake.  The  advice  of  the  family  doctor  can 
generally  be  relied  upon,  and  if  this  is  not  available 
or  reliable,  it  is  best  to  find  out  the  name  of  some  man 
associated  with  a  good  medical  school,  which  can  al- 
ways be  done  by  a  little  inquiry,  and  consult  him.  In 
small  places,  where  there  are  no  medical  schools,  of 
course  this  plan  cannot  be  adopted,  but  it  is  better  to 
come  to  a  larger  place.  A  little  trouble,  effort,  and 
money  are  well  expended  in  doing  so. 

Amenorrhea,  or  deficiency  of  menstruation,  is  the 
name  given  to  a  diminution  of  the  function,  whether 


MENSTRUATION  127 

it  takes  the  form  of  occurring  too  seldom,  of  lasting 
too  short  a  time,  or  being  insufficient  in  amount. 
When  menstruation  stops  altogether  for  some  months 
or  even  years  the  amenorrhea  is  spoken  of  as  total  or 
complete;  when  it  appears  irregularly  or  when  it  de- 
creases without  ceasing  altogether,  the  condition  is 
called  partial  amenorrhea. 

Amenorrhea  in  young  girls  proceeds  usually  from  a 
failure  of  the  general  health,  and  occasionally  it  is  the 
result  of  nervous  influences.  In  acute  diseases,  such 
as  eruptive  fevers,  or  pneumonia,  or  typhoid,  men- 
struation is  often,  though  not  always  absent.  In 
chronic  ailments  it  is  almost  always  reduced  in  amount 
or  frequency,  but  does  not  so  often  cease  altogether. 
In  all  these  conditions  the  deficiency  is  a  conservative 
process  on  the  part  of  nature,  which  is  making  an  ef- 
fort to  save  the  strength. 

One  condition  in  which  there  is  a  direct  connection 
between  amenorrhea  and  the  reproductive  organs 
which  requires  special  mention  is  the  disease  known 
as  chlorosis,  in  which  the  red  cells  of  blood, 
which  carry  oxygen  to  the  tissues,  become  so 
affected  that  their  capacity  to  carry  oxygen  is  much 
reduced  though  their  number  is  not  lessened.  The 
cause  of  chlorosis  is  not  yet  understood,  but  we  know 
it  is  frequently  connected  with  the  development  of  the 
uterus  and  ovaries,  or  rather  with  their  want  of  de- 
velopment, for  when  it  exists,  these  organs  are  almost 


128  GIRL  AND  .WOMAN 

always  small  and  immature.  The  complexion  in 
chlorosis  is  not  only  pale,  as  it  is  in  simple  poverty 
of  the  blood,  but  it  has  the  peculiar  greenish  tinge 
which  has  given  the  disease  its  name.  The  general 
health  is  always  more  or  less  affected,  the  particular 
disturbance  being  different  in  different  cases;  some- 
times it  shows  itself  more  in  the  digestion,  sometimes 
in  disturbance  of  the  heart's  action.  Menstruation  is 
not  often  absent  altogether,  but  it  is  always  decreased 
in  one  way  or  another  and  sometimes  it  fails  to  appear 
until  some  years  after  it  should  do  so.  The  girl 
herself  and  her  relatives  are  apt  to  be  alarmed  by  the 
decrease,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  be; 
it  is  a  characteristic  symptom  of  the  condition,  arising 
from  the  undeveloped  state  of  the  reproductive  organs, 
and  it  will  disappear  when  they  attain  their  full  growth 
and  development. 

One  thing  that  must  always  be  remembered  in  the 
case  of  a  girl  with  chlorosis,  is  that  though  fresh  air 
is  the  most  important  factor  in  her  recovery,  exercise 
is  not  desirable,  partly  because  the  action  of  the  heart 
is  sometimes  disturbed  and  partly  because  it  has  been 
shown  that  the  blood  becomes  poorer  during  exertion 
and  richer  during  rest.  Therefore  a  patient  ought  to 
sit  or  lie  out  of  doors  as  much  as  possible,  but  she  must 
walk  very  little. 

Amenorrhea  is  almost  always  present  in  the  early 
stages  of  tuberculosis  of  the  lungs;  in  fact,  it  is  one 


MENSTRUATION  129 

of  the  first  symptoms  of  the  disease.  This  fact  is  gen- 
erally recognized,  but  the  reason  for  it  is  misunder- 
stood. There  is  a  common  impression  that  the  sup- 
pression of  menstruation  is  the  cause  of  the  disease  in 
the  lungs,  and  that  if  the  function  can  only  be  re- 
established, the  lung  trouble  will  disappear.  Nothing 
can  be  more  mistaken;  the  amenorrhea  here,  as  in  all 
the  other  chronic  conditions,  is  the  result  of  nature's 
impulse  towards  saving  the  system  a  loss  which  it  is 
not  in  a  condition  to  bear.  Any  attempt  to  bring  on 
the  function,  therefore,  is  more  likely  to  do  harm  than 
good,  even  if  it  succeeds,  which  is  not  likely. 

The  influence  of  the  nervous  system  in  causing 
amenorrhea  is  extremely  marked;  in  fact  it  is  one 
among  various  reasons  for  believing  menstruation  to 
be  under  the  direct  control  of  the  nervous  system. 
Sudden  grief,  violent  excitement,  or  emotion  of  any 
kind  experienced  during  a  period,  will  cause  men- 
struation to  stop  suddenly,  not  to  return,  perhaps,  for 
months.  Change  of  climate  is  often  accompanied  by 
marked  disturbance,  a  change  to  the  seashore  being 
usually  followed  by  a  tendency  to  excess,  while  change 
to  the  mountains  is  attended  by  a  tendency  to  diminu- 
tion. These  disturbances  can  be  partly  accounted  for 
by  the  effect  of  barometric  pressure  at  different  alti- 
tudes upon  the  pressure  in  the  blood  vessels,  but  the 
fact  that  the  same  results  often  follow  a  change  of  a 
few  miles,  shows  that  nervous  influences  must  be 


130  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

involved  as  well  as  the  atmospheric  condition.  The 
great  English  specialist  in  women's  diseases,  Dr.  Tilt, 
was  once  consulted  by  a  lady  who  had  recently  opened 
a  large  boarding  school  for  girls  near  London,  because 
so  many  of  her  girls  suffered  from  amenorrhea  dur- 
ing their  first  year  at  school,  that  she  thought  there 
must  be  something  unhealthy  in  the  situation.  Such 
cases,  however,  are  well  known  to  any  physician  of 
large  experience. 

Amenorrhea  seldom  or  never  requires  direct  treat- 
ment, especially  in  young  girls.  As  said  before,  it  is 
nature's  way  of  protecting  the  individual  from  a  loss 
which,  for  one  reason  or  another,  she  is  not  in  a  con- 
dition to  bear.  The  flow  to  which  the  system  is  accus- 
tomed in  health,  becomes  a  drain  when  the  health  is 
impaired.  The  only  measures  of  relief  that  are  ne- 
cessary or  desirable  are  those  that  restore  the  general 
health  or  assist  recovery  from  acute  or  chronic  ail- 
ments upon  which  the  amenorrhea  depends.  On  no 
account  whatever  should  any  medicines  be  taken  in- 
ternally, with  the  object  of  bringing  on  or  increasing 
the  How.  It  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  such  rem- 
edies succeed  in  the  purpose  for  which  they  are  taken 
and  they  may  do  a  great  deal  of  harm.  The  family 
physician  ought  to  be  consulted  with  reference  to  the 
general  health,  but,  unless  he  himself  suggests  it,  the 
advice  of  a  specialist  is  not  necessary  or  desirable. 
No  medicines  ought  to  be  given  without  his  sanction 


MENSTRUATION  131 

except,  perhaps,  iron  or  cod-liver  oil.  Fresh  air, 
sleep,  nourishing  food  and  a  healthy  life  are  impera- 
tive and  especial  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  bowels 
open,  for  amenorrhea  and  constipation  go  hand-in- 
hand.  With  the  return  of  health,  menstruation  will 
reappear,  and  if  health  does  not  return,  it  is  not  to  be 
desired  that  menstruation  should. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  exposure  to  cold  and  wet 
during  a  menstrual  period  will  cause  a  chill  that  stops 
the  flow  altogether,  and  this  kind  of  suppression  may 
be  accompanied  by  acute  pain  in  the  lower  abdomen, 
and  headache.  When  this  occurs,  the  girl  should  have 
a  hot  tub  or  hip  bath  and  then  be  put  to  bed,  warmly 
covered  up,  with  hot  water  bags  around  her  and  some 
kind  of  hot  application  over  the  lower  part  of  the 
abdomen.  A  hot  drink  is  often  useful. 

Increase  of  menstruation,  whether  of  amount,  of 
duration,  or  of  frequency  is  called  menorrhagia.  Like 
amenorrhea  or  dysmenorrhea  it  is  frequently  the  re- 
sult of  general  causes,  but  the  possibility  of  local  trou- 
ble in  the  organs  concerned  is  rather  greater  than  with 
the  other  disturbances  of  menstruation.  The  more 
serious  of  the  conditions  causing  it  do  not  exist  how- 
ever, in  young  girls,  or  only  in  rare  instances.  It  is 
important  to  remember  that  menorrhagia  is  more  im- 
portant than  amenorrhea  or  dysmenorrhea,  from  its 
own  nature,  irrespective  of  any  condition  behind  it. 
There  is  a  disposition  among  women  to  think  that  any 


132  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

irregularity  in  menstruation  must  be  of  consequence, 
solely  because  it  is  a  disturbance  of  established  cus- 
tom. This  state  of  mind  is  largely  the  result  of  the 
old  idea  just  now  mentioned,  which  attached  far  too 
much  importance  to  the  possibilities  of  trouble  asso- 
ciated with  women's  reproductive  organs.  But  it  only 
requires  a  moment's  thought  to  see  that  any  increase 
of  the  habitual  loss  must  be  of  more  consequence  to 
health  than  a  decrease,  or  even  than  marked  suffering 
in  connection  with  it.  Menorrhagia  cannot  occur 
without  depreciating  the  general  condition  more  or 
less,  no  matter  whether  there  is  any  local  trouble  be- 
hind it  or  not;  and  if  this  loss  is  continued  for  any 
length  of  time,  the  ill  effects  will  be  serious  as  re- 
gards health.  I  emphasize  these  facts  because  the  lack 
of  discrimination  between  the  importance  of  the  men- 
orrhagia  and  other  disturbances  of  menstruation  is 
sometimes  the  cause  of  a  good  deal  of  harm. 

Any  marked  increase,  whether  by  amount,  duration, 
or  shortening  of  the  interval  between  the  periods  ought 
to  receive  attention  and  be  brought  to  the  physician's 
notice,  but  if  the  increase  is  very  slight  or  gradual,  it 
may  escape  attention  altogether,  and  even  if  he  in- 
quires in  regard  to  the  subject  he  may  be  misled,  be- 
cause the  patient  is  under  a  wrong  impression  herself. 
In  any  case  where  a  girl's  health  fails  without  any 
assignable  reason,  and  all  the  usual  means  of  building 
it  up  fail,  there  is  always  a  possibility  that  she  is  suf- 


MENSTRUATION  133 

faring  from  menorrhagia,  so  slight  in  amount  or  grad- 
ual in  its  onset  that  it  is  unsuspected  by  herself  or  any- 
one else.  It  is  always  worth  while  in  such  a  case  to 
watch  closely  for  several  periods. 

Another  point  of  importance  in  menorrhagia  is  that 
the  extent  of  the  hemorrhage  bears  no  relation  what- 
ever to  the  extent  of  the  condition  causing  it.  The 
most  profuse  hemorrhage  may,  and  frequently  does, 
proceed  from  some  exceedingly  simple  local  cause,  or 
from  disturbances  of  the  general  health,  without  any 
local  trouble  whatever. 

In  forming  an  opinion  as  to  whether  menstruation 
is  in  excess  or  not,  it  must  always  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  question  is  comparative  rather  than  a  posi- 
tive one.  An  amount  of  flow  which  is  normal  in  a 
robust  full-blooded  girl  is  excessive  in  a  slight  delicate 
one,  with  no  blood  to  spare.  But  no  girl,  no  matter 
how  strong  she  may  be,  can  stand  an  increase  in  the 
amount  habitual  to  her,  even  though  the  increase  is 
quite  small,  if  it  keeps  up  for  several  successive  pe- 
riods. It  is  one  of  the  most  effectual  means  in  the 
world  of  breaking  down  the  general  health. 

In  young  girls  menorrhagia  usually  proceeds  from 
one  of  three  causes.  First,  a  failure  of  general  health, 
which  instead  of  being  accompanied,  as  it  commonly 
is,  by  a  decrease  of  menstruation,  results  in  an  in- 
crease. It  is  a  curious  fact  that  in  poverty  of  the 
blood,  just  when  it  is  so  important  that  every  drop 


134  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

of  it  should  be  saved,  there  is  a  tendency  to  loss  on 
every  possible  occasion,  because  its  excessive  thinness 
causes  it  to  flow  with  unusual  ease.  Bleeding  from 
the  nose  is  quite  common  during  anemia  and  the 
amount  of  the  flow  during  menstruation  may  be  in- 
creased. The  next  cause,  which  is  present  only  dur- 
ing the  years  just  after  menstruation  is  established, 
is  a  slow  and  imperfect  development  of  the  blood  ves- 
sels in  the  uterus.  This,  of  course,  passes  away  as 
soon  as  full  development  is  reached.  The  third  cause 
is  a  thickening  and  roughening  of  the  mucous  mem- 
brane lining  the  uterus.  This  condition  may  occur 
in  any  organ  with  a  mucous  lining,  but  in  the  uterus 
the  regular  recurrence  of  hemorrhage  gives  it  more 
importance  than  it  possesses  elsewhere,  for  it  tends  to 
increase  the  amount  of  the  flow.  Fortunately  it  is 
easily  relieved  by  a  simple  form  of  treatment. 

The  treatment  of  menorrhagia  is  somewhat  like 
that  of  dysmenorrhea,  though  it  stands  on  a  different 
basis.  In  both  classes  of  cases  rest  is  the  sheet  anchor, 
but  in  menorrhagia  its  object  is  not  so  much  to  relieve 
the  nervous  system,  as  to  keep  the  patient  in  the  recum- 
bent position,  which  usually  tends  to  reduce  the  flow. 
Any  girl  suffering  from  excessive  menstruation  ought 
to  stay  in  bed  for  the  whole  of  the  period,  if  possible, 
and  at  any  rate  for  the  first  two  days  of  it.  In  girls 
who  are  in  the  habit  of  taking  a  great  deal  of  active 
exercise,  menorrhagia  is  often  benefited  by  a  mod- 


MENSTRUATION  135 

ified  rest  for  several  days  before  the  period  is  due, 
that  is  by  refraining  from  long  walks,  or  playing  ten- 
nis, golf,  or  any  form  of  active  exercise,  and  by  lying 
down  for  a  few  hours  each  day. 

In  acute  diseases,  menstruation  is  usually  partially 
or  completely  suppressed.  But  occasionally  it  is  af- 
fected in  the  opposite  manner,  especially  in  the  erup- 
tive fevers,  such  as  scarlet  fever,  measles  and  the  like. 
These  disturbances  are  not  commonly  of  consequence, 
unless  the  hemorrhage  should  be  excessive  enough  to 
be  alarming,  which  is  very  unusual;  but  the  belief  is 
now  growing  among  physicians  that  chronic  inflamma- 
tion of  the  uterus  or  ovaries,  which  gives  much  trou- 
ble in  later  life,  sometimes  has  its  starting  point  in  the 
acute  diseases  occurring  during  childhood  or  early 
girlhood.  For  this  reason  it  is  most  important  to 
watch  carefully  for  a  symptom  which  might  indicate 
the  possibility  of  these  organs  being  affected,  the  sign 
of  it  being  either  excessive  menstruation  or  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  discharge  from  the  vagina.  Whenever 
in  the  course  of  an  acute  disease,  such  symptoms  ap- 
pear, the  attention  of  the  doctor  should  be  called  to 
it  at  once,  in  order  that  he  may  take  precautionary 
measures. 

Before  concluding  this  chapter  it  seems  best  to  em- 
phasize the  more  important  points  concerning  men- 
struation, even  at  the  risk  of  repetition,  for  the  func- 
tion is  of  vital  importance  in  a  woman's  life,  and 


136  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

much  of  a  girl's  health  and  happiness  depend  upon  a 
knowledge  of  them. 

We  know  that  the  function  of  menstruation  is  under 
the  influence  of  the  nervous  system  and  that  the  dis- 
comfort and  suffering  which  may  accompany  it  even 
in  the  healthiest  girls,  are  almost  always  due  to  dis- 
turbance of  the  nervous  system,  not  to  disease  or  dis- 
placement of  the  organs  concerned.  All  investiga- 
tions into  the  question  of  women's  diseases  and  the 
function  of  menstruation,  made  within  the  last  few 
years,  show  this  fact  more  and  more  convincingly. 
Such  investigations  also  show  that  irregularities  in  oc- 
currence or  amount  are  generally  the  result  of  failure 
of  the  general  health.  Deficiency  of  menstruation  is, 
therefore,  a  saving  process  for  which  there  is  reason 
to  be  thankful.  Increase  in  menstruation  is  more 
serious  than  either  of  the  other  conditions,  not  because 
it  arises  from  graver  causes,  for  in  young  girls  it 
very  rarely  does,  but  because  it  exhausts  the  strength 
and  injures  the  general  health. 

If  these  particular  points  are  once  fully  understood, 
common  sense  shows  that  the  means  of  dealing  with 
them  lies  in  the  hands  of  girls  themselves  and  still 
more  of  their  mothers.  The  measures  at  command 
are  based  upon  four  essentials:  Rest,  healthy  condi- 
tions of  life,  patience,  and  time.  If  these  measures 
are  given  a  fair  trial  for  a  reasonable  length  of  time, 
everything  requisite  to  restoration  of  health  is  done. 


MENSTRUATION  137 

The  majority  of  cases  will  recover  without  any  neces- 
sity for  active  treatment,  and  this  being  the  case  it  is 
a  positive  duty  to  exhaust  their  resources  before  tak- 
ing a  young  girl  to  a  specialist's  office. 


CHAPTER  VI 

SEXUAL   KNOWLEDGE 

Evils  of  present  manner  of  treating  sexual  matters  in  educa- 
tion —  False  point  of  view  as  a  cause  of  these  evils  — 
Benefit  of  frankness  —  Necessity  for  confidence  between 
mother  and  daughter  —  Method  of  instruction  through 
study  of  reproductive  function  in  animals  and  plants  — 
Question  of  such  instruction  in  schools  —  Benefit  of  such 
instruction  in  the  protection  of  working  girls. 

ONE  of  the  healthy  signs  of  the  times  is  a  growing 
dissatisfaction  with  the  manner  in  which  the  facts  of 
reproduction  and  allied  questions  of  sex  are  now 
treated  in  the  education  of  the  young.  Up  to  this  time 
the  laissez  faire  doctrine,  which  left  information  on 
such  subjects  to  chance,  has  been  accepted  without 
criticism ;  but  within  recent  years  many  thoughtful  per- 
sons, who  realize  that  the  let-alone  method  in  their 
own  case  left  much  to  be  desired,  or,  perhaps,  it  would 
be  more  correct  to  say,  much  to  be  regretted,  are  be- 
ginning to  perceive  the  evils  of  such  a  policy  and  to 
ask  themselves  what  is  really  the  right  line  of  conduct. 

The  let-alone  method  arose  partly  from  indolence 
and  carelessness,  together  with  that  strange  reserve 
which  instinct  seems  to  erect  between  parent  and  child 

138 


1  s 

SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  139 

on  matters  related  to  sex.  But  in  the  case  of  girls 
at  any  rate,  it  contained  also  a  certain  element  of  de- 
liberation, based  upon  the  idea  that  if  a  girl  was  kept 
in  complete  ignorance  of  all  matters  related  to  sex, 
she  remained  innocent  of  evil,  while,  on  the  other 
hand,  such  a  knowledge  might  make  her  less  modest 
or  else  be  an  offense  to  her  modesty. 

But  innocence  does  not  depend  upon  ignorance  of 
sexual  things,  nor  even  upon  ignorance  of  evil;  it  is 
a  quality  inherent  in  all  healthy  young  minds,  and  if  it 
is  sullied  or  lost  through  a  knowledge  of  sexual  mat- 
ters it  is  because  these  facts  are  not  presented  as  they 
should  be, —  with  simple  directness  as  part  of  nature's 
scheme  of  life.  The  same  argument  applies  to  the 
other  objections  cited  as  well,  for  there  is  certainly 
nothing  in  a  knowledge  of  the  natural  laws  relating 
to  reproduction  which  can  injure  a  girl's  modesty  or 
offend  it. 

But  even  if  it  were  desirable  to  keep  a  girl  wholly 
ignorant  of  sexual  matters  up  to  adult  life  and  mar- 
riage, it  is  impossible  to  do  so,  except  in  very  rare 
cases.  No  girl  can  reach  puberty  without  observing 
facts  connected  with  reproduction,  even  if  she  is  for- 
tunate enough  to  escape  more  direct  information  from 
her  associates.  The  problem  before  us  to-day  is  not 
whether  a  girl  shall  or  shall  not  be  ignorant  of  sexual 
things,  but  whether  her  knowledge  of  them  shall  come 
from  a  right  or  a  wrong  source.  Yet  so  little  is  this 


»4o  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

aspect  of  the  case  recognized  that  many  mothers  do 
not  speak  to  their  daughters  upon  such  subjects,  and 
others  use  every  effort  in  their  power  to  guard  them 
rigorously  from  any  knowledge  of  the  most  important 
function  in  their  being. 

Unfortunately  this  negative  attitude  on  the  part  of 
mothers  is  anything  but  negative  in  its  results  upon 
the  daughter.  Under  the  present  conditions  of  life, 
at  any  rate  in  this  country,  a  girl's  mind  cannot  remain 
empty  as  regards  sexual  things.  She  reads  the  daily 
papers,  she  overhears  the  conversation  of  her  elders, 
she  associates  with  schoolmates  more  mature  than  her- 
self, and  she  takes  a  burning  interest  in  the  latest  ad- 
ditions to  her  own  family  or  those  of  her  friends.  It 
is  but  natural  that  if  her  mother  never  alludes  to  the 
subject  or  turns  a  deaf  ear  to  inquiry,  she  should  seek 
information  from  some  other  source,  which  may  not 
be  actually  harmful,  but  is  never  what  it  ought  to  be. 

For  —  and  this  is  a  point  not  sufficiently  appre- 
ciated —  no  suitable  source  of  information  is  open  to 
a  girl  if  her  mother  fails  her.  No  older  girl  or  woman 
with  right  instincts  or  good  principles  will  discuss  mat- 
ters of  sex  with  a  little  girl  if  her  mother  has  not  seen 
fit  to  do  so.  Even  if  the  mother's  course  seems  mis- 
taken to  her  relatives  or  intimate  friends,  they  will 
rarely  feel  justified  in  acting  contrary  to  it.  Con- 
sequently the  girl  whose  mother  keeps  silence,  whether 
from  indifference  or  intention,  has  no  source  of  knowl- 


SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  141 

edge  better  than  her  schoolmates  and  girl  friends, 
whose  information  at  best  is  "  either  bare-faced  or 
shame-faced,"  and  generally  inaccurate.  Or,  worse 
still,  she  falls  into  the  hands  of  servants  whose  point 
of  view  can  hardly  fail  to  be  coarse  and  may  be  really 
vicious.  As  a  recent  writer  on  the  subject  remarks: 
"  The  so-called  delicacy  of  discussion  is  a  veritable 
Minotaur  that  exacts  a  yearly  tribute  in  the  shape  of 
boys  and  maidens." 

Another  bad  result  of  mystery  and  repression  is 
that  girls  come  to  regard  it  as  the  natural  attitude  of 
mothers  on  such  matters,  and  to  feel  themselves  justi- 
fied in  evading  it,  because  everyone  else  does  so.  Can 
anything  be  more  pitiful,  or  more  cruel  to  both  par- 
ties ?  A  girl's  mind  at  this  period  is  at  its  most  plastic 
and  receptive  stage  and  just  at  this  point,  when  pure 
and  noble  ideas  upon  sexual  things  are  most  easily 
inspired,  she  is  cut  off  from  the  source  through  which 
all  impressions  of  this  kind  would  naturally  come, 
and  is  fortunate  if  she  escape  having  her  innocent 
mind  filled  with  coarse  associations  which  can  never, 
perhaps,  be  wholly  eradicated. 

But  many  a  conscientious  mother  adheres  to  this  re- 
pression policy  because  she  honestly  believes  that  the 
subject  of  reproduction  and  everything  related  to  it 
should  be  avoided  by  a  modest  woman,  except  under 
the  most  stringent  necessity.  Therefore,  she  is  only 

doing  her  duty,  as  she  conceives  it,  by  seeking  to  give 
11 


142  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

her  daughter  the  same  impression  through  her  own 
avoidance  of  the  topic.  And  this  attitude,  unfortu- 
nately, is  one  which,  to  a  large  extent,  has  the  sanction 
of  public  opinion. 

All  this  trouble  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  whole 
subject  stands  at  present  in  a  false  light.  There  is  no 
indelicacy  in  the  facts  of  reproduction  themselves  nor 
in  the  natural  laws  associated  with  them ;  it  is  we  who 
have  created  an  artificial  atmosphere  of  indelicacy  by 
surrounding  such  subjects  with  mystery  and  putting  a 
taboo  upon  all  allusion  to  them.  Not,  of  course,  that 
matters  of  sex  are  suitable  for  general  conversation  or 
comment.  On  the  contrary,  their  constant  presence 
in  newspapers,  advertisements,  cheap  literature,  and 
other  public  places  is  one  of  the  odious  defects 
of  the  age.  The  trouble  is  that  we  confound  secrecy 
and  reserve,  which  are  wholly  different  things.  There 
can  hardly  be  too  much  reserve  upon  all  matters  re- 
lating to  the  question  of  sex,  for  reserve  implies  a 
dignified  reticence  that  discusses  certain  subjects  only 
upon  fitting  occasions  and  then,  when  frankness  is 
called  for,  speaks  with  perfect  openness.  The  qaality 
of  reserve  as  thus  defined,  outlines  the  attitude  suita- 
ble to  all  the  intimate  relations  of  life,  and  especially 
to  those  of  sex,  which  are  associated  with  the  finest 
instincts  of  our  nature  and  the  nearest  of  all  human 
relationships.  To  every  healthy-minded  girl  whose 
impulses  are  pure  and  good  this  attitude  will  come 


SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  143 

instinctively,  if  her  thoughts  are  not  soiled  and  per- 
verted by  other  and  lower  views,  presented  to  her 
before  she  fully  understands  what  the  subject  means. 

A  certain  proportion  of  parents  who  realize  that 
they  have  a  duty  to  their  children  as  regards  their 
knowledge  of  sexual  matters,  adopt  a  system  of  treat- 
ing the  subject  which  is  certainly  more  to  be  respected 
than  the  laissez  faire  method,  though  it  is  not  by  any 
means  all  that  it  should  be.  This  plan,  which  has  the 
support  and  sanction  of  some  careful  mothers,  is  to 
let  a  girl  grow  up  in  ignorance  of  all  matters  con- 
nected with  the  function  of  reproduction  (so  far  as 
her  mother  is  concerned)  until  she  reaches  puberty, 
and  then,  about  that  time,  to  explain  the  subject  to 
her  more  or  less  fully  according  to  the  mother's  judg- 
ment. 

The  success  of  this  scheme  rests  upon  the  mother's 
assumption  that  no  hint  of  the  subject  will  reach  her 
daughter's  ears  before  the  time  when  she  intends  it 
to  do  so,  and  this  state  of  things,  as  we  have  seen, 
is  almost  an  impossibility.  A  mother  often  makes  the 
mistake  of  thinking  that  because  a  daughter  as  she 
approaches  womanhood  says  nothing  to  her  regard- 
ing matters  of  sex,  she  knows  nothing  of  them,  which 
is  a  fatal  error.  This  is  the  age  when  girls  begin 
to  be  reticent  about  everything,  as  we  saw  in  a  previ- 
ous chapter,  and  that  reticence  is  apt  to  be  fostered  as 
regards  sex  matters,  because  if  the  mother  has  fixed 


144  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

a  definite  time  in  which  to  speak  herself  she  will  al- 
most always  repress  any  questions  addressed  to  her 
before  that  time  arrives.  Any  mother  who  believes 
her  daughter's  silence  to  be  a  sign  of  ignorance  and 
is  surprised  when  she  approaches  the  subject  to  find 
the  contrary,  will  be  able  to  recall,  if  she  tries,  ques- 
tions evaded  by  her  some  years  earlier. 

A  child  who  has  been  rebuffed  on  such  matters  will 
no  longer  let  her  mother  see  what  is  passing  in  her 
mind  in  regard  to  it,  not  so  much  from  deliberate 
concealment,  as  because  she  has  learned  that  her 
mother  does  not  wish  to  be  approached  in  regard  to  it. 

The  plan  of  taking  up  sex-instruction  at  a  definite 
time  answers  in  some  cases.  I  know  of  one  instance 
where  it  was  a  signal  success,  but  in  this  case  the  cir- 
cumstances were  such  that  the  daughters  could  be 
most  carefully  guarded,  and  the  mother  was  a  woman 
with  remarkable  powers  of  insight  and  influence. 
Such  cases  as  this  are  in  a  very  small  minority.  In 
most  instances,  a  girl,  so  far  as  her  early  years  are 
concerned,  is  exposed  to  all  the  evils  of  the  let-alone 
system,  and  when  childhood  is  over  and  the  mother 
expects  to  guide  her  daughter's  mind  along  lines  which 
she  has  planned,  she  finds  it  impossible  to  do  so,  by 
reason  of  impressions  already  received.  This  system 
will  always  be  a  failure  except  in  the  rarest  cases,  be- 
cause entire  confidence  between  mother  and  child  can 
hardly  ever  exist  under  it,  and  it  is  in  this  confidence 


SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  145 

that  the  solution  of  the  sex-problem  from  an  educa- 
tional point  of  view  must  lie.  Not  confidence  estab- 
lished at  a  special  time  for  a  special  purpose,  but  a 
confidence  existing  from  babyhood  and  bringing  the 
child  into  the  same  relations  of  sympathy  and  open- 
ness in  matters  of  sex  that  should  exist  between  her 
and  her  mother  in  all  respects.  A  mother  cannot  step 
into  this  relation  at  a  time  fixed  by  herself,  no  matter 
how  judicious  her  selection  of  the  time  may  be.  More 
than  this  she  must  accept  the  fact  that  the  time  for 
explanation  is  a  matter  of  opportunity,  not  of  choice, 
and  be  ready  to  set  aside  all  pet  theories  and  nicely 
adjusted  plans,  even  to  sacrifice  what  may  seem  to  her 
a  really  important  issue  to  keep  the  one  thing  needful 
—  confidence. 

The  questions  asked  by  very  little  children,  such  as 
"  Who  made  me  ?  "  or  "  Where  did  the  baby  come 
from?"  are  probably  best  met  by  some  evasion,  such 
as  the  fable  of  the  stork.  In  early  childhood  there 
is  no  danger  of  checking  confidence  by  such  an  an- 
swer, for  it  is  no  more  possible  to  answer  questions 
of  this  kind  than  hosts  of  others  on  all  possible  sub- 
jects propounded  at  this  time,  and  the  child  does  not 
feel  herself  any  more  rebuffed  than  she  does  in  many 
other  cases.  When  she  grows  older  and  approaches 
the  problem  with  more  developed  intelligence,  the  stork 
will  go  into  the  same  category  as  Santa  Claus  and 
other  childish  delusions.  It  is  at  about  six  or  seven, 


146  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

when  infancy  ends  and  childhood  begins,  that  the  dif- 
ficulty appears,  partly  because  the  intelligence  is  keener 
and  partly  because  the  child  begins  to  go  to  school. 
At  this  time  she  will  perceive  that  her  questions  on 
matters  related  to  reproduction  and  kindred  subjects 
are  put  aside,  while  her  questions  on  all  other  subjects 
are  met  with  more  or  less  effort  at  response,  and 
want  of  confidence  begins  to  creep  in.  From  this  time 
on,  evasions  are  of  all  things  to  be  avoided  and  if  the 
old  ones,  such  as  the  stork,  are  recalled  and  presented 
for  explanation,  it  is  best  to  admit  frankly  that  they 
were  evasions,  made  use  of  because  a  baby  could  not 
understand  the  real  answer.  No  child  of  six  or  seven 
ever  resents  or  is  repressed  by  such  an  admission,  for 
nothing  gives  such  a  delightful  sense  of  superiority  as 
the  comparison  with  a  younger  self.  The  danger  with 
evasions  at  the  later  stage  is  that  the  questions  for 
which  they  are  employed  will  certainly  crop  up  again, 
and  then  the  child  will  be  shrewd  enough  to  guess  that 
they  were  employed,  not  because  she  could  not  under- 
stand, as  in  the  case  of  the  early  ones,  but  because  it 
was  not  intended  that  she  should,  and  if  she  draws  the 
further  conclusion  that  she  will  not  be  any  more  suc- 
cessful next  time  she  will  probably  seek  information 
elsewhere. 

At  this  age  a  child's  inquiries  ought  to  be  met  as 
fully  as  her  intelligence  will  permit.  It  may  be  ob- 
jected that  the  intelligence  of  the  period  does  not  allow 


SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  147 

explanation  of  any  great  fullness.  But  the  really 
important  point  is  not  so  much  to  impart  information 
as  to  make  the  child  feel  that  she  is  treated  with  as 
much  frankness  as  her  age  admits,  and  that  when  she 
is  older  and  wiser  her  further  inquiries  will  meet 
with  the  same  treatment.  The  hardest  part  of  this 
plan  is  that  the  mother  must  be  prepared  to  find,  at 
any  moment,  that  the  matter  has,  on  some  point,  been 
taken  out  of  her  hands,  because  the  child  has  heard 
or  seen  something  which  obliges  her  to  go  farther  in 
information  than  is  desirable  for  the  child's  age.  The 
temptation  to  evade  under  these  circumstances  is  very 
great,  but  it  is  a  fatal  error  to  yield,  for  the  girl's 
essential  belief  in  her  mother's  frankness  and  willing- 
ness to  explain  will  certainly  be  shaken  when  she  finds 
out  the  subterfuge,  and  this  is  a  false  step  which  can 
never  be  regained.  In  such  a  case  as  this  the  mother 
can,  at  any  rate,  take  comfort  in  the  conviction  that 
she  controls  the  situation  by  meeting  it  openly ;  whereas 
if  she  finds  some  other  way  out,  it  will  get  the  better 
of  her. 

This  particular  point  is  so  important  that  I  should 
like  to  illustrate  it  by  means  of  a  little  incident  told 
me  by  a  friend. 

My  friend's  little  girl  came  to  her  when  she  was 
about  ten  years  old  in  great  perturbation  because  one 
of  her  companions,  a  girl  somewhat  older  than  herself, 
had  shattered  her  belief  in  the  mission  of  the  stork, 


148  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

in  which  up  to  that  moment  she  had  firmly  believed. 
Her  mother  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  in  that  mo- 
ment, with  the  child's  eyes  fixed  upon  her  face,  she 
took  thought  and  made  her  decision.  It  had  been  her 
intention  to  speak  upon  the  subject  a  few  years  later, 
and  she  regretted  extremely  that  her  hand  should  be 
forced.  There  was  no  difficulty  in  evading  the  sub- 
ject at  the  moment  for  the  child  trusted  her  absolutely, 
and  would  have  accepted  any  one  of  the  customary 
subterfuges  without  suspicion.  But  with  this  thought 
came  the  reflection  that  the  matter  might  be  revived 
in  the  child's  mind  at  any  moment  by  suggestion  from 
some  other  quarter,  and  then  the  recollection  of  her 
own  avoidance  of  it  would  check  the  confidence  she 
aimed  to  establish.  So,  believing  that  she  chose  the 
better  part,  she  gave  an  explanation  sufficient  to  meet 
the  situation  for  the  time  being,  feeling  sure  that 
when  further  questions  suggested  themselves  or  were 
suggested,  they  would  be  brought  to  her  as  readily 
as  this  one  had  been.  The  child's  comment  showed 
how  true  her  mother's  instinct  had  been,  for  when  the 
latter  ended  by  saying  that  she  had  intended  to  explain 
the  subject  to  her  when  she  was  a  little  older,  she  said : 
"  I  don't  think  that  girl  ought  to  have  told  me.  You 
are  the  person  who  ought  to  tell  me;  you  are  my 
mother." 

I  have  sometimes  heard  expressions  of  surprise,  that 
this  particular  woman  should  possess  the  confidence 


SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  149 

of  her  daughters  in  a  remarkable  degree,  while  other 
mothers,  who  gave  all  questions  of  education  far  more 
consideration,  were  less  successful  in  this  respect,  and 
whenever  this  happens  I  recall  this  little  incident. 

One  objection  often  urged  by  mothers  against  the 
policy  of  entire  frankness  is  the  difficulty  of  handling 
such  subjects,  since  certain  aspects  of  the  sex  question 
are  unsuitable  to  a  child's  mind,  even  with  the  most 
cautious  and  delicate  treatment.  With  some  persons 
the  personal  element  seems  to  be  a  great  obstacle. 
But  this  difficulty  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  most 
people  look  upon  all  questions  of  sex  from  the  human 
point  of  view  alone,  or  at  any  rate  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  higher  animals.  The  solution  of  it  lies 
in  taking  up  the  subject  from  the  other  end  of  the 
scale  of  life  and  opening  the  child's  mind  to  the  fact 
of  reproduction  in  all  animal  life  and  vegetable  life, 
accustoming  her  in  this  way  to  look  upon  it  as  a  nat- 
ural law,  present  all  through  the  universe.  A  child 
of  nine  or  ten  can  understand  the  process  of  cell  divi- 
sion, as  it  takes  place  in  low  forms  of  life,  and  see, 
how  it  results  in  a  new  individual.  She  can  also  ap- 
preciate the  fact  that  reproduction  in  human  beings  is 
a  further  stage  of  the  same  process,  too  complicated 
for  her  to  understand  as  yet,  just  as  she  appreciates 
that  there  are  degrees  of  knowledge  in  everything. 
Such  a  plan  brings  the  subject  before  her  in  a  pure 
and  natural  light;  it  shows  her  that  it  is  a  law  of 


150  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

nature  with  no  more  mystery  about  it  than  other  nat- 
ural laws;  and  it  prepares  her  mind  for  a  right  esti- 
mation of  its  relations  to  life  as  a  whole,  when  she 
is  old  enough  to  meet  them. 

But  the  study  of  life  in  all  its  forms  has  only 
been  recognized  within  the  last  half  century  and  the 
adaptation  to  youthful  minds  is  even  more  recent,  so 
that  its  usefulness  as  a  means  of  education  in  sexual 
things  is  not  yet  generally  recognized.  Every  year 
however,  makes  it  more  plain  that  instruction  along 
these  lines  is  the  solution  of  the  sex  problem  from  an 
educational  point  of  view,  and  the  greatest  service 
which  can  be  rendered  to  this  cause  at  present  is  to 
assist  in  bringing  it  into  general  acceptance. 

If  it  is  objected  that  not  many  parents  have  the 
training  necessary  to  instruction  of  the  kind  requisite, 
the  answer  is  that  the  requirements  for  it  are  really 
very  simple.  A  special  education  in  botany  and  zool- 
ogy is  most  useful  when  it  is  at  command,  but  it  is 
not  at  all  essential.  Any  mother  who  has  gone 
through  the  public  schools,  whether  their  course  in- 
cluded any  training  in  natural  history  or  not,  can 
easily  acquire  a  sufficient  knowledge  for  her  purpose 
from  elementary  books  on  these  matters.  A  scheme 
of  such  instruction  is  given  in  the  last  chapter,  but 
there  are  variations  upon  it  which  might  be  employed 
with  advantage  in  special  circumstances.  A  micro- 
scope and  a  knowledge  of  its  use,  or  even  a  magnify- 


SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  151 

ing  glass,  is  a  great  help  and  interest,  but  not  an  es- 
sential. No  knowledge  of  drawing  in  an  artistic 
sense  is  necessary,  for  anyone  can  learn  what  is  need- 
ful for  this  special  purpose.  Under  any  circumstances 
there  are  the  illustrations  in  books. 

But  in  many  cases  it  is  possible  to  arrange  for  a 
course  in  elementary  biology  from  a  regular  teacher, 
in  which  the  reproductive  functions  are  considered  in 
connection  with  all  the  others,  for  several  children  to- 
gether, and  if  the  mothers  are  present  at  the  same  time, 
so  as  to  know  exactly  what  facts  are  presented  to 
their  children,  they  will  be  able  to  make  use  of  what 
has  been  learned  in  their  own  talks  with  their  children 
on  sex  matters. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  graded  courses  of  instruc- 
tion in  biology,  with  this  particular  point  especially  in 
view,  shall  be  made  a  part  of  the  work  in  the  public 
schools,  the  lessons  concluding  by  a  series  of  talks  to 
the  older  pupils  on  the  function  of  reproduction  and 
kindred  subjects  from  the  human  side,  and  the  ques- 
tions of  health  associated  with  it.  The  advantage  of 
such  a  plan  is  that  the  child  can  have  instruction  from 
a  more  highly  trained  source  than  is  otherwise  possi- 
ble in  most  cases.  She  can  also  enjoy  the  use  of  ap- 
paratus and  appliances  which  few  homes  can  command 
and  she  can  observe  many  more  forms  of  life.  More- 
over, it  provides  for  children,  especially  those  of  for- 
eign parentage,  whose  mothers  have  not  enough  educa- 


152  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

tion  to  attempt  any  instruction  of  this  kind.  The  plan 
has  been  tried  in  a  few  places  and  the  results,  so  far 
as  they  go,  are  most  encouraging. 

The  only  objection  to  the  scheme  is  that  instruction 
in  matters  of  sex  is  undoubtedly  the  duty  of  the  par- 
ents, and  if  the  responsibility  of  it  is  accepted  by  the 
school  the  parents  will  come  to  regard  it  as  no  busi- 
ness of  theirs,  just  as  they  are  too  apt  to  do  with  other 
matters  of  education,  and  thus  be  separated  from  the 
children  in  a  matter,  where,  I  repeat,  confidence  is 
above  all  things  essential.  If  the  system  of  school  in- 
struction will  really  produce  such  a  result  as  this,  it 
had  better  be  given  up,  for  no  benefit  to  be  gained 
from  it  will  counterbalance  such  an  evil.  But  why 
should  the  evil  arise?  There  is  no  reason  whatever 
why  it  should  do  so.  In  any  case  such  a  measure  is 
only  a  temporary  resource,  for  if  the  present  gen- 
eration of  pupils  in  the  public  schools  are  well 
grounded  in  the  necessary  knowledge,  they  will  have 
it  in  their  power  to  teach  their  children  themselves, 
and  in  the  next  generation,  if  it  is  desirable,  the  course 
can  be  dropped  from  the  curriculum.  But  there 
is  no  reason  why,  if  technical  instruction  is  introduced 
into  the  public  schools  and  the  parents  will  take  pains 
to  keep  in  touch  with  it  and  make  use  of  the  facts 
thus  acquired  in  their  closer  and  more  personal  teach- 
ing, all  things  should  not  work  together  for  good.  It 
is  all-important  that  this  aspect  of  the  question  should 


SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  153 

be  clearly  understood  in  the  beginning,  and  when  the 
system  is  introduced  into  the  schools  of  any  particular 
place  every  effort  ought  to  be  made  to  initiate  the 
parents  into  its  purpose  and  secure  their  sympathy  and 
support. 

Yet  when  all  is  said  and  done,  school  instruction,  no 
matter  how  good,  can  never  take  the  place  of  a  moth- 
er's influence  in  such  matters.  The  closer,  more  inti- 
mate, personal  side  of  the  subject  can  only  be  sup- 
plied in  its  best  sense  by  a  mother.  No  teacher,  no 
matter  how  well  informed  or  sympathetic  she  may 
be,  can  fill  a  mother's  place,  and  any  outside  influence, 
if  it  is  to  do  good,  must  work  with  her;  otherwise  it 
makes  for  evil.  That  a  mother's  capacity  to  help 
her  daughter  does  not  depend  upon  intelligence  nor  ed- 
ucation, is  shown  by  the  fact  that  workers  among  the 
poor  in  New  York,  say  that  the  girls  among  the  very 
poorest  class  upon  the  East  Side  are  better  protected 
against  evil  when  working  for  themselves  by  their 
mother's  teaching  than  those  of  the  class  above  them, 
where  there  is  more  education. 

This  matter  of  the  protection  of  working  girls 
touches  another  aspect  of  the  sex  question  which  is 
of  vital  importance.  It  may  seem  a  paradox  to  speak 
on  one  page  of  the  harm  done  by  the  let-alone  system 
giving  a  precocious  knowledge  of  sexual  things  and  on 
another  of  the  evil  arising  from  ignorance  resulting 
from  the  same  method;  but  inconsistent  as  the  two 


154  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

statements  may  seem  on  the  surface,  they  are  really 
perfectly  in  accord.  A  knowledge  of  sexual  matters 
picked  up  at  haphazard,  whether  it  comes  from  com- 
panions, from  books,  from  newspapers,  or  from  ob- 
servation in  real  life,  contains  every  evil  without  pos- 
sessing the  one  compensating  quality  of  truthfulness. 
The  facts  are  distorted,  the  point  of  view  from  which 
they  are  presented  is  false,  and  worst  of  all,  the  nat- 
ural laws  which  govern  them,  and  the  questions  of 
health  associated  with  them,  are  never  explained,  still 
less  the  consequences  of  breaking  these  laws. 

Among  well-to-do  women  whose  daughters  are  pro- 
tected from  evil  by  the  mere  conditions  of  their  lives, 
this  particular  fault  of  the  let-alone  system  is  of  little 
consequence  compared  to  others  of  which  we  have 
spoken.  But  with  working  girls,  who  must  begin  to 
support  and  therefore  to  protect  themselves  at  an 
early  age,  the  harm  arising  from  ignorance  of  the 
natural  laws  associated  with  sexual  things  is  piteous. 
There  is  but  one  opinion  among  those  who  have  ex- 
perience with  working  girls  as  to  the  cause  of  such  a 
girl's  first  downward  step.  They  all  agree  with  one 
accord  that  in  the  majority  of  cases  it  is  ignorance. 
Not  ignorance  of  sexual  matters,  for  they  may  be  ac- 
quainted with  many  coarse  and  ugly  things  in  regard 
to  the  subject.  But  ignorance  of  the  natural  laws 
governing  them,  and  the  consequences  attendant  upon 
breaking  them. 


SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  155 

It  is  not  perhaps  sufficiently  recognized  how  greatly 
the  conditions  of  life  for  girls  in  the  working  classes 
are  changed  from  what  they  were  a  generation  or  two 
ago.  Fifty  or  sixty  years  since  a  girl  married  early, 
and  in  most  cases  left  her  father's  home  for  one  of 
her  own  as  soon  as  she  could  fairly  be  called  grown 
up.  If,  however,  she  did  not  marry  until  later,  and 
was  obliged  to  work  for  herself,  she  went  into  do- 
mestic service  in  a  respectable  place  where  she  was 
protected.  Nowadays  a  girl  does  not  marry  for  years 
after  she  is  old  enough  to  do  something  for  herself; 
domestic  service  has  been  rejected  in  favor  of  any 
other  form  of  employment;  and,  most  efficient  of  all 
causes  of  change,  the  spirit  of  independence  is  abroad, 
and  a  girl  demands  what  she  calls  her  "  liberty."  In 
consequence  of  these  changes  the  cities  are  crowded 
each  year  with  girls  from  country  neighborhoods  and 
villages  who  want  work  in  factories,  or  to  be  telegraph, 
telephone,  or  shop  girls,  or  to  follow  any  other  of  the 
many  occupations  now  open  to  women. 

That  interesting  little  book,  "The  Long  Day," 
shows  what  are  the  dangers  to  which  such  a  girl  is 
exposed,  particularly  if  she  is  without  any  special 
training,  as  thousands  of  them  are,  and  the  author's 
experience  in  the  steam  laundry  in  particular,  makes 
plain  the  nature  of  the  temptations  of  one  special  kind, 
to  which  the  most  respectable  girl  is  exposed.  But  all 
those  who  have  experience  among  working  girls  agree 


156  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

that  this  sort  of  temptation  would  be  unsuccessful  in 
the  majority  of  cases,  if  it  were  not  for  ignorance, 
which  seems  in  such  cases  to  be  at  the  special  service 
of  the  devil.  A  woman  physician  who  has  a  large 
practice  among  working  girls  has  expressed  herself 
on  this  subject  in  a  recent  paper  thus :  "  Ignorance  is 
perhaps  the  most  serious  of  the  many  factors  which 
work  together  to  bring  many  working  girls  to  ruin. 
The  inducements  in  the  way  of  dress,  jewelry,  and 
amusement,  which  are  used  to  overcome  scruples  nat- 
ural to  every  woman,  would  have  far  less  weight  if  the 
consequences  of  indulgence  were  clearly  understood." 
Judge  Lindsay,  of  the  Juvenile  Court  in  Denver, — 
whose  experience  among  juvenile  delinquents  of  every 
class  is  well  known, —  expresses  himself  even  more 
strongly  as  follows :  "  I  say  emphatically  that  nine- 
tenths  of  our  girls  who  go  wrong  do  so  because  of 
ignorance,  due  to  the  carelessness  of  parents." 

But  this  condition  of  things,  grievous  as  it  is  in  one 
way,  is  hopeful  in  another.  It  speaks  well  for  the  in- 
trinsic right  principle  of  the  working  girl  that  ig- 
norance should  be  the  strongest  factor  in  her  wrong- 
doing, and  it  is  reassuring  to  know  that  the  most  im- 
portant means  for  her  protection  are  at  our  command. 
It  also  presents  another  and  powerful  argument  against 
leaving  the  knowledge  of  sexual  things  in  a  girl's  edu- 
cation to  chance.  Those  who  are  striving  to  introduce 
sex  instruction  into  the  schools  consider  the  protec- 


SEXUAL  KNOWLEDGE  157 

tion  of  the  working  girl  one  of  the  strongest  argu- 
ments for  their  cause.  And  it  is  especially  on  account 
of  the  working  girl  that  they  urge  concluding  the 
course  of  instruction  in  general  biology  with  lessons 
on  the  anatomy  and  physiology  of  reproduction  in  hu- 
man beings,  and  following  these  with  a  series  of  talks 
on  questions  of  health  associated  with  them.  The  dif- 
ficulty of  finding  the  right  person  to  carry  on  such 
a  course  of  instruction  is  certainly  great,  but  it  is  not 
insuperable,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  good 
to  be  accomplished  by  it. 

The  sex  problem,  as  it  stands  at  this  moment  in 
education  is  one  of  the  vital  questions  of  the  day.  Its 
solution  undoubtedly  lies  in  straightforward  treat- 
ment, and  especially  in  showing  that  the  function  of 
reproduction  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  natural 
law.  No  one  denies  that  there  are  peculiar  difficulties 
in  dealing  with  the  subject  not  present  in  the  case  of 
other  natural  laws,  but  the  advancement  of  scientific 
knowledge  and  its  introduction  into  all  stages  of  edu- 
cation offer  a  means  of  meeting  this  difficulty  which 
has  hitherto  been  lacking  and  make  our  way  plain  to 
us.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  method  of  teach- 
ing by  gradual  advance  through  different  forms  of  life 
is  destined  to  become  more  and  more  popular  as  time 
goes  on,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  hope  that  with 
its  extension  the  evils  arising  from  the  old  fashioned 

system  will  gradually  disappear. 
12 


CHAPTER  VII 

BODILY   FUNCTIONS EXERCISE SLEEP 

I.  Digestion:  Action  of  saliva  —  Irregularity  of  meals — • 
Exertion  after  meals  —  Eating  between  meals  —  Effect  of 
mind  on  digestion  —  Character  and  preparation  of  food 

—  Use  of  water  —  Use  of  tea  and  coffee. 

ill.  Respiration:  Nose  breathing  —  Disposition  of  atmos- 
pheric dust  —  Simple  means  of  ventilation  —  Benefit  from 
sitting  out  of  doors. 

Hit 'Exercise:  Changes  in  physical  life  of  girls  —  Correct 
carriage  —  Manner  of  walking  —  Cross-country  walking 

—  Riding   and   driving  —  Skating  —  Rowing  —  Swimming 

—  Golf  —  Tennis  —  Basket-ball     and     hockey  —  Athletics 
in  general. 

IV.  Sleep. 

DURING  childhood  our  daily  life  is  under  other  peo- 
ple's control.  We  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  be- 
ing in  accordance  with  a  scheme  of  conduct  in  the 
choice  of  which  we  ourselves  have  little  or  nothing  to 
say.  But  with  girlhood  individual  responsibility  be- 
gins. This  is  the  time  of  life  when  the  personal 
habits  of  a  lifetime  are  formed  and  the  girl  must  learn 
to  be  guided  by  her  own  judgment  and  her  own  sense 
of  fitness  and  necessity.  If  she  has  been  fortunate  in 
her  training,  she  has  only  to  make  it  her  own  personal 

158 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  159 

possession;  if,  on  the  contrary,  she  has  still  much  to 
learn  as  regards  the  conduct  of  daily  life,  she  will  do 
wisely  to  acquire  the  knowledge  while  body  and  mind 
are  plastic  and  good  habits  are  easily  formed.  To 
spend  a  little  time  in  the  consideration  of  physical  well- 
being,  therefore,  can  hardly  be  amiss. 

I.  DIGESTION 

The  first  stage  of  digestion  takes  place  in  the  mouth, 
and  we  can  do  more  to  help  or  hinder,  even  at  this 
early  stage,  than  we  are  apt  to  imagine.  Food  taken 
into  the  mouth  is  broken  into  pieces  by  the  teeth  and 
then  moved  to  and  fro  in  the  mouth  by  means  of  the 
tongue  and  the  muscles  of  the  jaws  and  cheeks.  Dur- 
ing this  time  it  is  being  mixed  with  saliva,  and  as 
the  saliva  serves  more  than  one  use,  it  is  important 
to  chew  the  food  slowly  and  deliberately,  so  as  to 
give  it  time  to  act. 

It  has  long  been  known  that  saliva  contains  a  diges- 
tive ferment,  called  pyalin,  which  digests  starchy 
foods ;  but  it  used  to  be  supposed  that  the  food  did  not 
remain  in  the  mouth  long  enough  for  this  ferment 
to  have  a  chance  to  act.  Proof  has  recently  been 
given,  however,  that  if  food  is  chewed  slowly  and 
thoroughly,  so  that  it  remains  in  the  mouth  as  long  as 
possible,  the  salivary  ferment  is  able  to  accomplish  a 
certain  amount  of  digestion.  Moreover,  if  the  saliva 
is  plentifully  mixed  with  the  food  some  of  it  is  car- 


160  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

ried  down  along  with  the  food  mass  into  the  stomach 
and  its  digestive  action  will  go  on  there  for  some 
little  time  longer.  Since  these  facts  became  known, 
the  method  of  treating  food  in  the  mouth  has  been 
especially  studied  and  developed  by  an  Englishman, 
Mr.  Horace  Fletcher,  who  calls  it  "  the  science  of  feed- 
ing in  a  natural  manner."  and  his  views  have  become 
widely  known  as  "  Fletcherism." 

The  essential  point  in  Mr.  Fletcher's  method  is  that 
while  the  food  is  being  slowly  and  thoroughly  chewed, 
the  attention  must  be  fixed  upon  tasting  and  enjoying 
it,  not,  as  it  usually  is,  upon  swallowing  as  soon  as 
possible.  Of  course,  when  the  plan  is  tried  for  the 
first  time  the  attention  is  almost  wholly  occupied  by 
the  effort  not  to  come  to  the  point  of  swallowing  too 
soon,  but  as  the  process  grows  familiar,  swallowing 
becomes  more  and  more  unnoticed  until  the  food  at 
last,  so  to  speak,  swallows  itself.  Not  only  solid  food 
is  subjected  to  the  chewing  process,  but  semi-solid  and 
soft  foods  also  must  be  chewed  with  deliberation;  in 
fact,  every  article  of  diet,  even  milk,  must  undergo  the 
movements  of  mastication.  Liquids,  except  water, 
should  be  sipped  in  order  that  their  taste  may  be  per- 
ceived and  enjoyed. 

If  it  is  objected  that  such  a  method  of  eating  re- 
quires and  consumes  a  great  deal  of  time,  the  answer 
is  that  more  nourishment  is  obtained  from  five  minutes 
spent  in  eating  according  to  its  requirements  than 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  161 

from  large  amounts  of  food  consumed  in  the  usual 
rapid  manner.  It  takes  time,  of  course,  to  learn  to  eat 
after  this  fashion,  but  when  the  method  is  once  ac- 
quired the  whole  amount  of  time  devoted  to  taking 
food  each  day  need  not  exceed  an  hour  at  the  utmost. 

It  has  also  been  objected  that  such  a  system  must 
lead,  in  the  long  run,  to  a  great  decrease  in  the  total 
consumption  of  food  and  consequently  to  insufficient 
nourishment  of  the  body.  But  the  experiment  of  liv- 
ing in  accordance  with  the  system  has  been  tried  suc- 
cessfully by  nine  young  men,  athletic  students  at  Yale, 
who  found  no  difficulty  whatever  in  meeting  the  re- 
quirements of  their  work  while  doing  so.  Like  all 
other  systems  Fletcherism  has  been  misrepresented  by 
opponents  and  overdone  by  supporters.  The  descrip- 
tion just  given  is  taken  from  Mr.  Fletcher's  own  state- 
ment concerning  it.  It  is  impossible  to  say  at  present 
how  far  it  will  ever  come  into  general  use,  but  one 
thing  is  certainly  established  by  it,  namely,  that  we 
can  assist  digestion  by  taking  time  and  pains  to  give 
our  food  slow  and  careful  mastication. 

The  passage  of  food  from  the  mouth  to  the  stomach 
is  only  momentary.  When  the  food-mass  enters  the 
stomach  it  finds  the  gastric  juice  all  ready  to  act  upon 
it,  because  the  taste  of  the  food  while  it  is  still  in  the 
mouth  acts  as  a  stimulus  to  the  digestive  glands  in 
the  stomach.  This  fact  was  recently  proved  by  a 
Russian  scientist,  Pawlov,  and  it  gives  an  additional 


162  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

reason  for  allowing  plenty  of  time  and  opportunity 
for  the  action  of  the  saliva,  since  our  sense  of  taste 
depends  largely  upon  the  power  possessed  by  the 
saliva  of  dissolving  substances  such  as  salt,  sweets, 
and  acids.  Pawlov  has  also  shown  that  the  gastric 
glands  secrete  most  freely  when  the  taste  of  food  is 
agreeable.  The  enjoyment  of  food,  therefore,  is 
actually  a  help  to  the  digestion  and  we  are  justified 
within  reasonable  limits  in  not  eating  what  we  dis- 
like. The  oldfashioned  principle  of  education  which 
obliged  children  to  eat  what  was  set  before  them, 
whether  they  liked  it  or  not,  was  certainly  bad  for  their 
digestions,  however  good  it  may  have  been  for  their 
characters. 

One  of  the  most  fruitful  sources  of  indigestion  is 
irregularity  of  meals.  This  is  a  fact  which  young 
people  ought  to  realize  early  in  life,  in  order  to  ac- 
quire the  habit  of  coming  to  their  meals  promptly  at 
the  appointed  hour.  Punctuality  is  a  duty  not  only 
to  our  own  digestions  but  to  those  of  other  people 
which  must  suffer  if  we  keep  them  waiting.  We  are 
all  creatures  of  habit  and  at  the  hour  when  we  are 
accustomed  to  eat  we  feel  the  sensation  known  as  ap- 
petite which  signifies  that  the  digestion  is  ready  for 
work.  If  we  keep  it  waiting,  the  desire  to  eat  at  first 
becomes  more  and  more  acute,  and  we  grow  uncom- 
fortable and  irritable  because  it  is  not  gratified;  a  lit- 
tle later  the  wish  to  eat  passes  away  and  we  begin  to 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  ^63 

feel  a  disinclination  for  food  that  leads  eventually  to 
faintness  and,  possibly,  to  nausea,  so  that  the  food 
is  not  well  digested  when  at  last  it  is  eaten. 

No  vigorous  exercise  should  be  taken  immediately 
after  eating  a  full  meal.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  in 
physiology  that  whenever  a  particular  organ  or  tissue 
of  the  body  is  called  upon  to  exercise  its  special  func- 
tion, the  activity  of  the  blood  flow  through  it  is  in- 
creased in  order  to  provide  nourishment  for  the  in- 
creased demand.  After  a  full  meal  the  circulation 
ought  to  be  most  active  in  the  digestive  tract ;  in  other 
words,  the  attention  of  the  circulation  should  be  fo- 
cussed  upon  the  digestion.  But  if  a  rapid  walk  is 
taken  directly  after  eating,  the  activity  of  the  blood 
current  will  be  diverted  to  the  voluntary  muscles  used 
in  locomotion,  or,  if  we  sit  down  at  once  to  steady 
mental  labor  the  blood  flow  is  claimed  by  the  demands 
of  the  brain.  In  either  case  the  digestive  organs  will 
not  have  a  supply  sufficient  for  their  work. 

Nature  gives  us  warning  in  this  matter  by  the  feel- 
ing of  sluggishness  and  inertia  which  makes  exertion 
directly  after  eating  an  effort,  and  if  we  disregard  the 
warning  we  shall  certainly  suffer  for  it  in  the  end. 
Many  causes  of  chronic  dyspepsia  are  caused  by  rush- 
ing into  active  occupations,  whether  bodily  or  mental 
just  as  soon  as  a  full  meal  is  disposed  of.  Slow  mas- 
tication of  food  reduces  the  evil  to  some  extent,  be- 
cause less  work  is  thrown  upon  the  stomach,  but  noth- 


164  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

ing  takes  the  place  of  half  an  hour's  rest  after  the 
principal  meal  of  the  day. 

One  bad  habit,  which  is  most  harmful  to  the  diges- 
tion, is  especially  common  amongst  young  girls,  and 
that  is  eating  between  meals.  It  is  easy  to  understand 
that  if  food  is  continually  being  taken  into  the  stom- 
ach the  digestion  never  has  the  complete  rest  which  is 
necessary,  at  intervals,  for  all  bodily  functions. 
Moreover,  the  constant  eating  of  small  quantities  of 
food  destroys  all  appetite  for  regular  meals  and  leads 
in  the  long  run  to  insufficient  nourishment,  since  the 
food  taken  at  odd  times  almost  always  consists  of 
cake,  candy,  and  other  dainties,  not  actually  harmful  in 
themselves,  but  not  capable  of  taking  the  place  of  the 
fundamental  articles  of  diet. 

The  condition  of  the  nervous  system  has  a  marked 
effect  upon  the  digestion.  Eye-strain  is  closely  asso- 
ciated with  indigestion  and  many  a  mysterious  case 
of  dyspepsia  disappears  after  the  eyes  are  fitted  with 
proper  glasses.  Mental  influences  also  are  able  to  help 
or  hinder  the  digestive  processes  to  a  remarkable  ex- 
tent. Worry,  anger,  grief,  anxiety  and  disagreeable 
psychical  impression  of  any  kind  tend  to  check  diges- 
tion, while  on  the  other  hand,  nothing  assists  it  more 
than  tranquillity  of  mind.  The  mental  atmosphere  at 
meal  times  ought  to  be  as  bright  and  cheerful  as  pos- 
sible, and  if  there  is  anything  disagreeable  which  must 
be  said,  meals  are  not  the  time  for  it.  Young  people 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  165 

sometimes  make  meal  times  most  unpleasant  by  teas- 
ing one  another,  until  the  one  who  gets  the  worst  of 
it  is  abjectly  unhappy  or  has  an  explosion  of  temper. 
Teasing  in  itself  is  not  such  a  bad  thing;  it  supplies  a 
useful  family  training  in  good  temper,  but  it  should 
never  be  allowed  to  crop  up  at  meal  times.  Indeed  it 
ought  to  be  a  fixed  rule  in  families  that  all  disagreeable 
topics  be  avoided  while  eating.  Solomon  showed  his 
wisdom  on  this,  as  on  many  other  matters,  when  he 
said  that  a  dinner  of  herbs  and  quietness  withal  is  bet- 
ter than  a  stalled  ox  and  contention  therewith. 

Food  in  itself,  both  as  regards  nature  and  prepara- 
tion, has  an  important  relation  to  digestion.  Youth 
requires  a  liberal  supply  of  nourishing  food  to  meet 
the  demands  of  growth  and  development,  especially  of 
the  so-called  proteid  foods,  represented  by  meat,  eggs, 
and  milk,  because  this  class  of  food  supplies  the  nitro- 
gen required  by  the  muscles  in  abundance.  Other 
kinds  of  food,  however,  also  are  needed,  in  fact,  the 
more  varied  the  diet  the  better,  provided  the  food  is 
simple,  of  good  quality,  and  properly  cooked.  Fruit 
should  be  liberally  provided.  It  is  not,  as  some  per- 
sons seem  to  think,  a  luxury,  acceptable  only  for  its 
agreeable  qualities;  it  is  a  necessary  article  of  diet. 
Certain  organic  salts,  much  needed  in  the  body,  are 
largely  supplied  by  means  of  it  and  it  is  of  the  utmost 
service  in  keeping  the  bowels  open.  Sweet  things  in 
moderation  and  of  good  quality  are  good  for  almost 


i66  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

all  girls.  Sugar  in  itself  is  healthful  and  nutritious, 
and  a  well-made  cake  or  pudding  contains  considerable 
nourishment  in  the  milk  and  eggs  put  into  it.  The 
evil  of  sweet  things  —  and  they  are  often  very  evil  — 
arises  from  injurious  articles  introduced  into  them  to 
give  stimulating  flavors  or  a  bright  color,  or  else  from 
the  use  of  ingredients  of  inferior  quality,  used  to  save 
expense.  Confectioners'  sweets  are  not  desirable  as  a 
part  of  the  diet  to  any  great  extent,  because,  though  re- 
liable firms  can  be  trusted  not  to  use  anything  actually 
harmful,  even  the  best  of  them  do  not  employ  material 
of  the  same  quality  as  what  is  furnished  at  home. 
Cheap  confectionery,  especially  candy,  is  apt  to  con- 
tain harmful  ingredients,  such  as  kerosene  oil  and  ani- 
line dyes. 

A  witty  person  once  said  that  digestion  begins  in 
the  kitchen  and  certainly  many  cases  of  dyspepsia 
originate  there.  The  best  digestion  in  the  world  can- 
not stand  badly-cooked  food  for  any  length  of  time. 
No  article  of  diet,  no  matter  how  simple,  is  wholesome 
if  it  is  improperly  prepared  and  its  nourishing  quali- 
ties are  much  lessened  by  bad  cooking.  In  fact  good 
cookery  is  as  necessary  to  health  as  good  food.  It  is 
just  now  a  vexed  question  whether  lessons  in  cooking 
and  other  branches  of  household  science  should  form 
part  of  the  school  education  of  girls,  and  there  is  much 
to  be  said  in  favor  of  such  a  course.  A  discussion  of 
even  the  elementary  principles  of  cooking  is  out  of 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  167 

the  question  here;  it  is  only  possible  to  point  out  in 
passing  the  responsibility  which  rests  upon  parents  and 
guardians  to  see  that  girls  are  properly  provided  with 
well-cooked  meals.  The  only  thing  which  a  girl  can 
do  for  herself  in  the  matter  is  to  avoid  badly-cooked 
food,  even  if  she  has  to  sacrifice  her  preferences  in 
order  to  do  so.  Greasy  food  is  always  badly  cooked, 
so  is  half-baked  bread  or  bread  imperfectly  raised; 
while  overdone  meat,  if  it  is  not  actually  indigestible, 
is  deprived  of  much  of  its  nourishment. 

Water  is  a  most  important  article  of  diet;  in  fact, 
its  value  as  a  factor  in  the  preservation  of  health  is 
much  greater  than  is  commonly  supposed.  If  the 
body  is  deprived  of  water  altogether  it  suffers  more 
than  it  does  when  deprived  of  food.  This  fact  has 
been  frequently  observed  in  cases  of  shipwreck,  when 
the  survivors  are  found  to  be  more  emaciated  and  to 
have  endured  greater  suffering  if  they  were  without 
water  than  without  food.  Arctic  explorers  also  are 
able  to  travel  incredible  distances  with  almost  no  food, 
because  they  can  always  get  water  (of  a  kind)  by 
melting  ice  or  snow.  This  necessity  for  water  arises 
from  the  fact  that  the  tissues  of  the  body  are  largely 
composed  of  it ;  it  forms,  in  fact,  about  two-fifths  of 
the  body  weight,  and  as  it  is  constantly  being  excreted 
by  the  kidneys  and  the  skin,  the  loss  must  be  made  up 
at  frequent  intervals.  To  a  certain  extent  the  amount 
required  to  supply  the  loss  is  furnished  by  the  water 


168  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

contained  in  the  food,  for  all  food  contains  some 
water.  But  an  additional  amount  of  not  less  than  two 
and  a  half  to  three  pints  must  be  taken  in  as  drinking 
water  every  twenty-four  hours.  Many  people  are 
careless  about  this  matter ;  women  especially  are  apt  to 
be  so.  They  almost  always  drink  too  little  water  and 
in  the  long  run  the  health  suffers  from  this  neglect.  It 
is  a  good  plan  for  girls  to  form  a  habit  of  drinking  a 
daily  allowance  of  water. 

In  regard  to  the  question  of  what  is  the  best  time  to 
take  drinking  water,  there  is  no  doubt  that  some  of  it 
should  be  taken  at  meals.  There  seems  to  be  a  com- 
mon impression  that  water  drunk  at  meals  is  bad  for 
the  digestion,  but  it  is  hard  to  understand  on  what 
such  an  idea  is  founded.  Certainly  there  is  no  truth 
in  it;  on  the  contrary,  in  moderate  amounts  water  at 
meals  is  really  of  assistance  to  digestion,  for  a  certain 
amount  of  fluid  is  necessary  to  mix  with  the  food  and 
further  movement  of  the  stomach,  upon  which  diges- 
tion largely  depends.  The  feeling  of  discomfort 
which  some  persons  complain  of  when  they  drink 
water  with  their  meals  is  probably  due  to  their  eating 
large  quantities  of  food  without  taking  time  to  chew  it 
properly,  and  then  washing  it  down  with  copious 
draughts  of  water,  a  procedure  which  naturally  causes 
sensations  of  distension.  A  certain  proportion  of  the 
daily  allowance  of  water  should  be  taken  when  the 
stomach  is  empty,  because,  taken  in  this  manner,  it 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  169 

flushes  out  the  blood  vessels,  particularly  the  circula- 
tion in  the  kidneys.  Three  pints  of  water  is  about 
equal  to  six  drinking  glasses  full;  one  glassful  may  be 
taken  with  each  of  the  three  meals,  and  the  remainder 
on  rising  in  the  morning,  on  going  to  bed  at  night,  and 
in  the  middle  of  either  the  morning  or  afternoon.  No 
one  need  be  afraid  of  taking  more  than  this  amount, 
but  to  take  less  is  distinctly  a  danger  to  health. 

The  subject  of  food  ought  not  to  be  abandoned 
without  a  word  on  the  use  of  stimulants.  Young  girls 
are  not  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  alcoholic  stimulation 
to  the  same  extent  or  in  the  same  manner  as  young 
men.  The  risks  which  girls  encounter  are  generally 
present  in  unsuspected  places,  such  as  patent  medicines 
containing  alcohol  or  opium.  This  particular  aspect 
of  the  question  on  which  there  is  so  much  to  be  said  is 
discussed  elsewhere  (see  Chapter  XIII)  ;  what  should 
be  emphasized  here  is  the  risk  lying  in  the  use  of  the 
everyday  stimulants,  tea  and  coffee.  A  great  deal  of 
harm  would  be  avoided  if  it  were  never  forgotten  that 
these  beverages  are  stimulants  and  not  food ;  there  is 
no  nourishment  in  either  of  them,  except  what  may 
be  contained  in  the  milk  and  sugar  added  to  them.  It 
would  not  be  fair  to  deny  that  their  powers  of  stimula- 
tion have  a  definite  field  of  usefulness  in  their  proper 
place.  When  middle  life  is  reached  and  the  vital  pow- 
ers have  passed  the  highest  point,  a  cup  of  tea  or  cof- 
fee on  rising  in  the  morning,  before  beginning  the 


i;o  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

day's  labors,  is  often  of  great  service  by  stimulating 
certain  nerve  cells  and  causing  a  consequent  rise  of 
blood-pressure  throughout  the  body.  But  in  youth, 
when  the  vital  processes  are,  or  ought  to  be  strong  and 
vigorous,  such  stimulation  is  not  only  not  necessary,  it 
is  actually  harmful.  Any  young  girl  who  feels  the 
need  of  stimulation  in  order  to  exert  herself  is  not  in 
good  health,  and  what  she  really  requires  is  rest,  care, 
and  medical  advice.  If  tea  and  coffee  are  taken 
habitually  in  girlhood,  by  the  time  middle  life  is 
reached  and  the  use  of  them  would  be  really  beneficial 
the  ordinary  quantity  has  no  longer  any  effect,  and 
stimulation  can  only  be  obtained  from  such  large 
amounts  as  to  injure  digestion,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
nervous  system. 

Tea  and  coffee  are  particularly  harmful  when  they 
are  taken  in  the  place  of  food.  It  is  distressingly 
easy  to  get  into  the  habit  of  thus  misusing  them,  es- 
pecially in  the  case  of  girls  who  are  supporting  them- 
selves away  from  home  and  prepare  one  or  more  of 
their  own  meals.  The  danger  to  health  from  even  the 
moderate  use  of  these  beverages  in  youth  is  so  great 
that  there  is  really  only  one  safe  course  of  action  in 
regard  to  them.  This  is  to  avoid  them  altogether  dur- 
ing girlhood,  except  on  special  occasions,  when  their 
stimulating  powers  are  needed,  and  after  womanhood 
is  reached  to  use  them  cautiously,  so  that  all  the  benefit 
which  scientific  investigation  teaches  us  is  to  be  ob- 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  171 

tained  from  them  in  middle  life  may  be  at  command 
when  it  is  most  needed. 

II.  RESPIRATION 

Respiration  is  less  under  one's  control  than  diges- 
tion, nevertheless,  there  are  certain  points,  mostly  of 
an  indirect  nature,  in  which  we  can  do  a  great  deal  to 
preserve  good  health  by  attention  to  it. 

One  of  these  important  points  is  nose-breathing. 
Atmospheric  air  is  both  too  cold  and  too  dry  to  be 
taken  into  the  lungs  directly;  it  must  first  be  warmed 
and  moistened  by  contact  with  the  mucous  membrane 
over  which  it  passes  on  its  way.  Air  taken  in  by  the 
mouth  receives  a  certain  amount  of  the  necessary 
warmth  and  moisture  from  the  mucous  membrane  in 
the  mouth  and  pharynx,  but  not  nearly  so  much  as  it 
does  when  it  enters  through  the  nose,  because  the 
interior  of  the  nose  is  especially  adapted  for  the  pur- 
pose. Inside  it  are  various  small  bones  having  an  ir- 
regular shape,  something  like  a  scroll,  and  the  mucous 
membrane  covering  these  bones  follows  all  the  irregu- 
larities of  their  surface.  By  this  means  the  extent  of 
mucous  surface  over  which  the  air  must  pass  before 
reaching  the  lungs  is  greatly  increased  and  there  is 
plenty  of  time  and  opportunity  for  it  to  acquire 
warmth  and  moisture. 

Another  reason  for  the  atmospheric  air  entering  the 
lungs  by  way  of  the  nose  instead  of  the  mouth  is  that 


172  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

when  it  does  so  the  dust  and  impurities  contained  in 
even  the  purest  air  are,  to  a  large  extent,  prevented 
from  reaching  the  lungs.  The  surface  of  the  mucous 
membrane  in  the  inside  of  the  nose  is  covered  with 
delicate  waving  processes,  known  as  cilia,  so  small  as 
to  be  visible  only  through  the  microscope ;  while  at  the 
outer  margin  of  each  nostril  are  tiny  hairs  called  in- 
brissce.  The  coarser  dust  in  the  atmospheric  air  is 
caught  by  these  vibrissse  and  prevented  from  entering 
the  nose  at  all,  while  the  finer  dust  which  manages  to 
sift  through,  is  taken  up  by  the  moist  surface  of  the 
mucous  membrane  and  carried  back  toward  the  outside 
by  the  movement  of  the  cilia.  This  arrangement  is 
of  great  importance  from  the  standpoint  of  health,  for 
not  only  is  dust  itself  injurious  to  the  lungs,  but  there 
is  always  the  possibility  that  it  may  contain  the  germs 
of  disease.  Diphtheria,  in  particular,  is  easily  ac- 
quired through  the  respiration  if  the  air  is  taken  by 
the  mouth  and  throat  instead  of  by  the  nose. 

Nature  plainly  intended  that  we  should  breathe 
through  the  nose,  as  its  interior  is  adapted  for  the 
purpose,  nevertheless,  many  people  have  a  fixed  habit 
of  breathing  through  the  mouth.  Sometimes  this  is 
because  their  attention  has  never  been  called  to  the 
matter;  sometimes  there  is  an  obstruction  that  makes 
nose-breathing  difficult  or  impossible.  It  is  a  simple 
matter  to  find  out  whether  such  an  obstruction  exists 
by  shutting  the  mouth  and  then  making  an  effort  to 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  173 

breathe  through  the  nose.  If  there  is  an  obstacle, 
breathing  will  be  more  or  less  difficult,  and  then,  by 
closing  first  one  nostril  and  then  the  other,  it  is  easy  to 
decide  whether  one  side  only  is  obstructed  or  both. 
When  both  nostrils  are  completely  closed,  breathing  is 
impossible  while  the  mouth  is  shut.  Nasal  obstruc- 
tions are  of  several  different  kinds.  There  may  be  a 
growth  at  the  back  of  the  nose,  or  the  mucous  mem- 
brane lining  the  nose  may  be  thickened  from  chronic 
inflammation,  or  the  little  bones  in  the  interior  are  so 
distorted  in  shape  as  to  close  the  passage.  Whenever 
it  is  discovered  that  an  obstruction  of  some  kind  exists, 
a  specialist  should  be  consulted.  In  many  cases,  in 
fact  in  most  of  them,  the  trouble  can  be  entirely  re- 
lieved by  some  simple  treatment. 

If  no  obstruction  exists,  and  the  mouth  breathing  is 
nothing  but  a  bad  habit,  every  effort  should  be  made  to 
overcome  it.  It  is  comparatively  easy  for  young  per- 
sons to  do  so  and  it  is  of  great  importance  to  their 
health  that  they  should.  One  inducement  towards 
making  the  effort,  which  ought  to  weigh  strongly  with 
young  girls,  is  that  the  half -open  mouth,  always  pres- 
ent in  habitual  mouth-breathers,  gives  the  face  a  stupid, 
almost  idiotic  expression  that  detracts  greatly  from 
personal  appearance.  Conscientious  effort  to  breathe 
through  the  nose  with  the  mouth  shut  will  do  a  great 
deal  to  cure  the  habit  of  mouth-breathing.  Care  must 
be  taken  to  see  that  the  passage  through  the  nose  is 

13 


174  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

kept  free  from  temporary  obstruction,  such  as  mucus. 
The  nostrils  must  be  cleansed  night  and  morning,  with 
soap  and  water  and  a  bit  of  soft  rag,  but  it  is  not 
advisable  to  use  a  nasal  douche  without  a  doctor's 
sanction.  The  little  hairs  at  the  margin  of  the  nos- 
tril must  never  be  trimmed. 

The  proper  disposition  of  atmospheric  dust  is  a  most 
important  element  in  health  and  one  in  which  women 
are  especially  concerned.  If,  as  Ruskin  assures  us, 
dust  is  only  a  substance  misplaced,  the  manner  of  its 
misplacement  is  one  for  serious  consideration,  for  its 
irritating  qualities  make  it  most  injurious  to  the  lungs 
and  throat,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fact  that  it  is  often 
the  bearer  of  disease  germs.  The  method  of  dusting 
deserves  far  more  attention  than  it  is  the  custom  to 
bestow  upon  it.  Its  aim  should  be  to  collect  all  the 
dust  possible  and  then  dispose  of  it  safely  out  of  the 
way  of  doing  further  harm ;  but  the  practical  result  of 
the  method  generally  employed  is  to  scatter  all  the  dust 
in  a  room  into  the  surrounding  atmosphere  and  so  fa- 
cilitate its  doing  as  much  harm  as  possible.  It  would 
be  hard  to  invent  an  implement  better  adapted  to  the 
harmful  distribution  of  dust  than  the  feather  duster, 
so  dear  to  the  heart  of  housewives.  A  cotton  or  silk 
duster  is  only  one  degree  better,  so  long  as  it  is  dry. 
The  great  and  important  point  in  a  duster  is  that  it 
shall  be  moist,  so  that  the  dust  will  adhere  to  it  and 
can  then  be  removed  by  washing.  The  best  material 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  175 

for  the  purpose  is  cheese-cloth,  but  any  soft  loose- 
meshed  substance  will  do.  It  must  be  slightly  but 
thoroughly  dampened,  not  enough  to  leave  wet  lines  in 
its  track,  but  sufficiently  to  take  up  the  dust  on  the  sur- 
face over  which  it  passes.  After  such  a  duster  has 
done  its  work  it  must  be  washed,  or  at  least  placed  in 
water  ready  for  washing;  it  must  never  be  used  again 
just  as  it  is. 

The  patent  sweeper  with  a  top  serves  its  purpose  by 
collecting  the  dust  which  it  removes  from  the  floor,  in 
a  closed  receptacle;  but  when  the  straw  broom  is  em- 
ployed, the  surface  to  be  swept  ought  to  be  covered 
with  some  moist  substance,  such  as  the  old-fashioned 
tea  leaves,  to  which  the  dust  will  adhere.  Clouds  of 
dust,  raised  in  sweeping  a  dry  floor,  are  one  of  the 
most  effectual  means  in  the  world  for  distributing  the 
germs  of  disease.  I  once  knew  a  case  of  severe  ill- 
ness which  there  was  every  reason  to  believe 
had  its  origin  in  the  dust  from  the  floor  of  a  railway 
station.  A  traveler,  who  sat  waiting  for  a  train  in  the 
small  hours  of  the  morning,  had  fallen  asleep  on  a 
bench  in  the  waiting  room,  when  he  was  aroused  by  a 
feeling  of  suffocation,  and  found  himself  choking  in 
clouds  of  evil-smelling  dust,  raised,  as  he  perceived, 
by  the  caretaker,  who  was  beginning  his  daily  cleaning 
without  making  any  attempt  to  keep  down  the  dust  col- 
lected by  the  feet  of  the  passers-by  during  the  day  be- 
fore. Forty-eight  hours  later  the  traveler  was  taken 


i;6  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

ill  with  a  bad  attack  of  infective  bronchitis,  the  germs 
of  which  had  no  doubt  been  deposited  on  the  waiting 
room  floor  in  the  expectoration  of  someone  with  the 
complaint. 

This  is  not  the  place  for  any  detailed  .discussion  of 
the  question  of  ventilation,  but  there  are  a  few  sug- 
gestions available  for  individual  application  that  may 
be  useful  here.  The  word  ventilation  comes  from  the 
Latin  ventus,  a  wind,  and  is  used  to  signify  a  move- 
ment of  the  atmosphere  by  means  of  which  fresh  air, 
if  possible  from  the  outside,  is  introduced,  while  the 
vitiated  air  is  removed.  The  oxygen  in  every  room 
occupied  by  human  beings  is  always  being  exhausted, 
of  course,  not  only  by  the  human  beings  themselves, 
but  by  fires,  gas-burners,  and  other  means  of  heating 
and  lighting,  as  well  as  by  animals,  if  any  are  present, 
while  at  the  same  time  the  carbon  dioxid  is  continually 
increased.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  the  atmos- 
phere of  a  room  is  injurious  to  health  long  before  the 
oxygen  is  exhausted  or  the  carbon  dioxid  in  excess, 
the  evil  effects  being  due,  as  science  has  recently 
shown,  to  increase  of  heat  and  moisture  in  the  expired 
air.  Everyone  is  familiar  with  the  headache,  drowsi- 
ness, and  other  ill  feelings  experienced  after  spending 
some  time  in  a  room  without  proper  ventilation  occu- 
pied by  human  beings,  and  if  these  bad  conditions  are 
kept  up  day  after  day,  they  result  in  permanent  injury 
to  health.  Girls  who  work  in  factories,  for  instance, 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  177 

or  other  crowded  workrooms,  are  nearly  always  in 
feeble  health  and  liable  to  disease ;  but  fortunately  sim- 
ple means  for  removing  the  difficulty  are  always  at 
hand  at  the  expense  of  very  little  trouble. 

Every  room  occupied  by  human  beings  ought  to 
have  its  windows  and  doors  open  for  some  part  of 
every  day,  but  when  the  rooms  are  crowded  for  the 
whole  day  this  is  not  sufficient.  Rooms  used  by  suc- 
cessive relays  of  people,  as  classrooms,  can  be  ven- 
tilated between  the  classes ;  but  when  this  is  not  possi- 
ble, as  in  workrooms,  small  schoolhouses,  or  even 
sometimes  family  sitting  rooms,  some  means  must  be 
found  of  renewing  the  air  while  the  room  is  occupied. 
Sometimes  this  can  be  accomplished  by  lowering  the 
upper  sash  of  the  windows,  and  so  permitting  the  es- 
cape of  the  upper  layers  of  hot,  exhausted  air;  but  if 
the  room  is  so  crowded  that  some  persons  are  obliged 
to  sit  directly  under  a  window  they  will  feel  too  much 
draft.  A  device  which  does  good  service  under  these 
circumstances  is  to  raise  the  lower  sash  from  three  to 
six  inches  and  close  the  opening  with  a  piece  of  board 
fitted  to  its  size.  The  fresh  air  enters  between  the 
sashes,  but  as  it  does  so  it  must  take  an  upward  direc- 
tion and  cannot  blow  upon  anyone.  Any  carpenter 
can  furnish  a  piece  of  board  six  inches  wide,  which  can 
be  cut  the  desired  length  by  anyone  with  a  saw,  and  if 
a  board  is  not  available,  a  number  of  newspapers  rolled 
up  into  a  pad  of  proper  size  will  answer  the  purpose. 


178  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

The  means  of  introducing  a  reasonable  amount  of  ven- 
tilation then  are  at  the  command  of  everyone,  for  there 
is  no  one  who  cannot  obtain  a  package  of  old  newspa- 
pers; and  if  girls  working  in  crowded  close  rooms  will 
only  take  the  trouble  to  fit  a  ventilator  of  this  descrip- 
tion, whether  board  or  newspapers,  into  each  of  the 
windows  of  the  room  in  which  they  work,  the  good 
effects  upon  their  general  health  will  be  marked. 

But  air  inside  a  house,  no  matter  how  much  is  done 
for  its  ventilation,  can  never  take  the  place  of  the  out- 
side air.  A  certain  amount  of  time  passed  in  the  out- 
side air  is  necessary  to  health,  quite  apart  from  any 
question  of  exercise.  It  is  possible  to  take  exercise  in 
the  house,  and  a  great  deal  of  time  can  be  spent  out 
of  doors  without  any  exercise  at  all.  Unless  the 
weather  is  bitterly  cold  or  very  inclement,  it  is  possible 
to  read,  write,  sew,  and  do  many  other  useful  things 
out  of  doors,  if  we  accustom  ourselves  to  the  practice. 
The  habit  of  occupation  out  of  doors  is  of  great  im- 
portance to  the  health  of  young  girls.  At  this  period 
of  rapid  growth,  when  heavy  demands  are  being  made 
upon  the  vitality,  some  girls  have  not  sufficient  strength 
for  vigorous  bodily  exercise,  and  then  if  there  is  any 
tendency  to  anemia  or  to  disturbed  action  of  the  heart, 
as  we  have  seen  sometimes  happens,  walking  for  more 
than  very  short  distances  is  too  much.  Girls  who  can 
command  carriages  and  automobiles  are  only  a  for- 
tunate few,  and  for  the  less  fortunate,  who,  of  course, 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  179 

are  much  in  the  majority,  sitting  out  of  doors  is 
the  great  resource. 

Nothing,  I  repeat,  is  more  important  to  health  in 
girlhood  than  abundance  of  fresh,  outdoor  air,  and  for 
girls  whose  strength  is  at  all  below  par,  sitting  out  of 
doors  and  carrying  on  their  occupations  is  one  of  the 
most  valuable  means  at  our  command  for  preserving 
and  building  up  strength  and  vitality.  After  a  few 
years  when  growth  is  complete  and  all  the  life  proc- 
esses are  established  on  the  normal  basis  of  woman- 
hood, the  girl  will  be  a  strong  woman,  able  once  more 
to  take  all  kinds  of  active  bodily  exercise ;  but  she  will 
be  a  stronger,  healthier  woman  all  her  life  if  this  plan 
of  getting  fresh  air  without  fatigue  is  carried  out.  I 
have  emphasized  this  point,  not  only  because  of  its  im- 
portance, but  because  it  is  curiously  hard  to  induce 
people  to  take  such  simple  measures  for  the  benefit  of 
health.  There  seems  to  be  some  deeply-rooted  preju- 
dice in  human  nature  which  makes  us  unwilling  to  try 
a  measure  likely  to  improve  our  physical  condition  un- 
less it  is,  so  to  speak,  guaranteed  by  the  expenditure  of 
money  or  trouble.  It  was  a  perception  of  this  preju- 
dice which  caused  a  wise  old  family  doctor  to  remark 
that  he  wished  sunlight  was  expensive,  for  then  he 
could  get  his  patients  to  make  use  of  it. 

The  habit  of  occupation  out  of  doors  is  of  great  ser- 
vice to  girls  and  in  fact  to  women  also,  during  the 
monthly  period.  The  amount  of  active  exercise  taken 


i8o  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

must  then  be  more  or  less  curtailed,  but  the  amount  of 
time  passed  in  the  open  air  should,  if  possible,  be  in- 
creased, and  a  girl  who  adapts  her  life  along  these 
lines  does  much  for  her  own  comfort  and  welfare. 

III.  EXERCISE 

The  present  generation  is  witness  to  a  remarkable 
change  in  the  attitude  of  public  opinion  towards  physi- 
cal exercise  for  girls.  Fifty  years  ago  their  brothers 
were  no  better  off  than  they  as  far  as  organized  physi- 
cal activity  was  concerned,  the  first  gymnasium  for 
boys  in  this  country  being  opened  in  Harvard  in  1826, 
in  one  of  the  dining  halls.  But  there  was  never  a  time 
when  boys  could  not  enjoy  all  kinds  of  active  out-door 
pursuits  and  games,  whereas  girls  were  excluded  from 
the  quietest  of  them  under  penalty  of  losing  caste  and 
being  condemned  as  rude  and  unfeminine.  For  the 
country  girl  a  decorous  walk  along  a  country  road  and 
for  her  city  sister  an  expedition  into  the  shopping  dis- 
trict, were  all  the  means  of  physical  activity  at  the 
command  of  women  up  to  comparatively  a  few  years 
ago.  Even  such  restricted  amusements  as  the  above 
had  to  be  partaken  of  in  the  most  subdued  manner,  all 
freedom  of  movement  or  exhibition  of  animal  spirits 
being  sternly  repressed  and  severely  criticised.  Bishop 
Potter,  in  his  excellent  article  on  recreations  for  wom- 
en in  Harper's  Bazar,  has  drawn  a  true  picture  of  the 
girl  of  our  grandmother's  day  as  she  appeared  abroad. 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  181 

"  She  walked,"  he  says,  "  like  a  trussed  fowl,  with  her 
hands  crossed  in  front  of  her  and  with  a  rigidity  of 
movement  which,  in  her  time,  was  defined  as  '  thor- 
oughly ladylike.' ' 

Even  if  a  girl's  parents  had  been  sufficiently  ad- 
vanced to  place  the  laws  of  health  before  those  of  con- 
ventionality, her  improved  physique  would  have  been 
no  advantage  to  her  in  some  respects.  A  glance  at  the 
novels  of  one  or  two  generations  ago  shows  us  how 
high  was  the  aesthetic  value  then  placed  upon  fragility 
of  form  and  delicacy  of  appearance;  and  such  being 
the  canons  of  womanly  beauty,  a  parent  who  sacrificed 
these  desirable  attributes  to  health  and  vigor  would 
have  been  in  much  the  same  position  as  a  Chinese 
father  who  declined  to  have  his  daughter's  feet  bound. 
No  matter  how  much  a  Chinese  grandee  may  be  con- 
vinced of  the  evils  of  foot-binding,  he  dare  not  defy 
immemorial  usage  in  the  case  of  his  own  child,  be- 
cause, as  he  truly  says,  her  chances  of  matrimony 
would  then  be  extremely  small.  Western  civilization 
does  not  sanction  such  baldness  of  speech,  but  the  prin- 
ciple involved  is  a  fundamental  one,  and  seventy-five 
years  ago  a  strong,  robust  girl  would  have  found  no 
favor  in  the  eyes  of  the  other  sex. 

But  all  this  unreasonableness  is  a  thing  of  the  past. 
To-day  public  opinion  smiles  upon  the  girl  who  dis- 
tinguishes herself  in  athletic  pursuits,  and  large  feet, 
generous  waists,  and  sun-burned  skins  are  spoken  of 


182  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

with  approval,  if  not  admiration.  Hardly  any  variety 
of  athletic  pursuit  is  now  denied  to  women,  and  even 
in  the  short  space  of  time  that  her  path  to  them  has 
been  open,  she  has  shown  that  she  can  hold  her  own, 
and  that,  within  certain  restrictions,  she  is  the  better 
for  doing  so.  I  say  within  certain  restrictions,  because 
there  are  distinct  fundamental  differences  between  the 
sexes  which  must  always  render  some  of  the  more  se- 
vere forms  of  athletics  unsuitable  for  women.  As 
Dean  Briggs  said,  when  addressing  the  graduating 
class  at  Wellesley  College,  "  Fiercely  competitive  ath- 
letics have  their  dangers  for  men,  but  they  develop 
manly  strength.  For  women  their  dangers  are  greater 
and  the  qualities  they  tend  to  develop  are  not  wom- 
anly." 

The  first  bf  all  things  to  be  considered  from  the 
point  of  view  of  physical  activity  is  a  correct  carriage 
of  the  body.  A  faulty  carriage  is  one  of  the  ugliest 
things  in  the  world,  besides  being  one  of  the  most  un- 
healthful;  moreover,  it  is  wholly  unnecessary,  for  it 
can  always  be  prevented,  except  of  course,  in  cases  of 
actual  deformity.  Women  are  much  more  apt  to  have 
an  awkward  carriage  than  men,  partly,  no  doubt,  be- 
cause so  little  attention  has  hitherto  been  paid  to  their 
physical  training.  Occasionally  a  girl  is  gifted  by  na- 
ture with  a  good  movement  in  walking  and  a  fine  car- 
riage of  the  body,  but  the  number  of  such  fortunate 
persons  is  small.  Most  girls  must  acquire  these  at- 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  183 

tributes  for  themselves  by  means  of  care  and  effort, 
and  girlhood  is  the  time  when  it  must  be  done,  for  in 
later  life  when  the  bones  of  the  skeleton  are  completely 
hardened,  the  best  efforts  can  achieve  only  partial  suc- 
cess. The  two  great  means  of  acquiring  a  good  car- 
riage are  the  avoidance  of  careless,  ungraceful  habits 
of  walking  and  standing,  and  attention  to  whatever 
form  of  physical  training  is  available.  One  simple 
means  of  improving  her  walk  and  manner  of  holding 
herself  which  any  girl  can  practice,  is  to  walk  about 
the  room  and  then  up  and  down  stairs  with  a  pail  full 
of  pebbles  or  sand  upon  her  head.  The  graceful  car- 
riage of  so  many  uncivilized  women  is  owing  to  their 
practice  in  this  art  and  even  the  most  modified  use  of 
the  custom  has  remarkably  good  effects. 

The  proper  posture  in  standing  is  square  on  both 
feet,  which  should  be  from  one  to  six  inches  apart, 
with  the  heels  well  in  line  and  the  toes  turned  slightly 
outward.  The  arms  should  hang  easily  at  the  sides 
and  the  body  must  be  drawn  up  erect  to  its  full  height, 
with  the  shoulders  held  square  and  thrust  a  little  back- 
ward, and  the  chin  drawn  inward.  All  other  parts  of 
the  body  will  then  fall  easily  into  the  right  position. 
The  weight  of  the  body  ought  to  rest  on  the  ball  of  the 
foot  rather  than  on  the  heel. 

In  sitting  down  it  is  important  to  sit  upon  the  whole 
seat  of  the  chair,  not  upon  its  edge.  An  easy  attitude 
is  impossible  when  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  chair,  and 


184  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

an  attitude  which  is  not  easy  is  never  graceful  nor 
healthful.  The  feet  should  rest  on  the  floor  with  ease 
and  if  the  chair  is  too  high  for  this,  there  ought  to  be 
a  footstool.  It  is  a  very  bad  plan  to  lounge  when 
seated  on  a  chair.  Rest,  with  relief  from  the  upright 
position,  is  a  good  thing  occasionally  for  everyone  and 
especially  for  a  girl  who  is  growing  rapidly;  but  it 
ought  to  be  on  a  sofa,  a  lounge,  or  a  bed.  If  a  chair 
is  used  for  it,  it  should  be  one  with  a  deep  seat  and  a 
back  high  enough  to  support  the  head,  such  as  a  Morris 
chair. 

In  walking,  the  figure  must  be  held  erect,  so  that 
the  back,  the  neck  and  the  shoulders  are  in  a  straight 
line.  The  feet  should  point  straight  ahead  or  very 
slightly  outward,  while  the  weight  of  the  body  must 
be  thrown  to  the  outer  side  of  the  foot,  which  is  the 
strongest.  When  the  inside  edge  of  a  shoe  begins  to 
wear  out  much  before  the  outside  edge,  it  shows  that 
the  weight  is  not  properly  thrown,  or  the  feet  are  not 
properly  held.  The  body  must  incline  somewhat  for- 
ward from  the  waist  with  the  shoulders  well  set  back, 
and  on  going  up  hill,  the  inclination  of  the  body  must 
be  increased.  Its  stride  should  be  easy  and  free,  with 
the  legs  moving  from  the  hips  and  the  arms  hanging 
loosely  at  the  sides. 

And  just  here  a  word  should  be  said  as  to  the  ugly 
and  ungainly  fashion  of  walking  which  is  now  becom- 
ing far  too  common.  When  physical  culture  first  be- 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  185 

came  the  fashion  for  girls,  its  advocates  believed  that 
everything  needed  in  physical  life  was  covered  by  free- 
dom of  movement  and  activity.  But  as  time  has  gone 
on,  it  has  become  apparent  that  although  physical  exer- 
cise makes  girls  healthy  and  gives  them  strength  and 
freedom,  it  does  not,  of  itself,  make  them  graceful. 
Some  of  the  women  who  pay  most  attention  to  physi- 
cal culture  are  singularly  ungraceful.  In  nothing  is 
this  defect  of  physical  training  more  apparent  than  in 
the  long  ungainly  stride  and  swinging  arms  affected  by 
the  athletic  girl  of  to-day.  The  steps  in  walking 
should  not  be  longer  than  the  length  of  the  limbs  per- 
mit with  ease.  A  step  that  is  natural  and  graceful  for 
a  tall  girl  with  slender  limbs,  is  distinctly  too  long  for 
a  short  girl  with  wide  hips  and  much  adipose  tissue  on 
her  lower  limbs.  Whenever  an  effort  is  perceptible  in 
the  stride,  the  length  of  it  is  too  great ;  it  ought  to  be 
unnotjceable  in  the  general  movement  of  the  body. 

The  widely  swinging  arms  are  another  great  defect, 
and  while  no  one  could  wish  to  renew  the  fashion  of 
the  trussed  fowl,  described  by  Bishop  Potter,  it  is  im- 
possible not  to  regret  the  disappearance  of  the  lady-like 
feeling  which  controlled  a  girl's  movements  in  those 
days. 

Many  persons  interested  in  girls'  physical  education 
are  beginning  to  ask  what  remedy  can  be  found  for 
this  lack  of  grace  and  elegance,  and  it  has  been  sug- 
gested that  it  will  be  found  in  dancing.  Not  dancing 


186  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

as  it  takes  place  at  entertainments  for  amusement,  but 
aesthetic  or,  as  it  is  sometimes  called,  figure  dancing. 
It  gives  training  in  the  harmonious  movement  of  the 
arms,  the  head  and  all  the  movements  of  the  body, 
and  it  is  also  of  value  in  the  acquirement  of  co-ordina- 
tion. Nor  is  its  mental  training  to  be  despised,  for  if 
the  different  movements  of  the  body  are  to  be  executed 
in  harmony,  they  must  be  directed  simultaneously  by 
the  mind.  Such  dancing  is  not  a  mere  moving  of  the 
feet  to  movement.  A  well-trained  dancer  must  ex- 
press what  she  feels  and  appeal  through  her  move- 
ments to  the  feelings  of  others.  It  is  this  quality  that 
makes  the  difference  between  a  dancer  and  a  gymnast. 
All  these  things  give  dancing  a  strong  claim  to  atten- 
tion in  physical  education,  and  those  who  are  inter- 
ested in  overcoming  the  present  defects  of  physical 
training  for  girls,  are  making  an  effort  to  have  it  in- 
troduced as  a  systematic  part  of  gymnastic  work.  It 
is  greatly  to  be  hoped  that  they  may  succeed. 

By  far  the  most  common  form  of  out-door  exercise 
is  walking,  for  the  obvious  reason  that  everybody, 
except  cripples,  has  the  means  of  doing  it  at  disposal. 
There  are  different  kinds  and  degrees  of  walking, 
from  the  stroll  around  the  garden  to  a  ten-mile  walk 
across  country.  To  make  any  kind  of  walking  bene- 
ficial to  the  health,  one  thing  is  necessary,  namely,  that 
it  shall  be  enjoyed.  A  walk  taken  against  the  will,  or 
in  the  company  of  sad  thoughts,  anxieties,  or  annoy- 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  187 

i 

ances,  can  do  no  one  any  good.  Some  people  enjoy 
walking  for  itself ;  they  take  pleasure  in  the  motion,  in 
the  sense  of  freedom,  in  the  general  appearance  of 
things  around  them.  Others,  with  more  or  less  trained 
tastes  for  botany,  geology,  and  other  forms  of  nature 
study,  find  enjoyment  in  the  objects  upon  the  road. 
But  there  is  a  third  class  of  walkers,  and  a  large  one, 
whose  pleasure  in  a  walk  lies  mainly,  if  not  wholly,  in 
its  object  This  last  variety  of  walker  is  at  a  disad- 
vantage compared  with  the  other  two;  nevertheless, 
such  people  get  a  great  deal  of  benefit  from  a  walk 
which  has  the  pleasure  of  anticipation  one  way  and 
that  of  retrospection  the  other.  Some  enjoyment  in 
the  walk  there  must  be,  or  it  is  better  to  stay  at  home 
and  carry  on  some  congenial  occupation  in  the  open  air. 
Cross-country  walking,  as  it  is  called,  has  never  been 
so  popular  in  this  country  as  abroad,  probably  because 
the  climate  in  most  parts  of  the  United  States  is  un- 
suited  to  it  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year. 
Nevertheless,  there  is  a  certain  amount  of  it  with  us 
and  to  people  who  enjoy  it  nothing  is  more  delightful 
nor  more  healthful.  But  it  requires  time,  strength, 
endurance,  opportunity,  proper  equipment,  and  above 
all  inclination.  No  one  who  does  not  enjoy  walking 
for  its  own  sake  ought  ever  to  undertake  it  or  she  will 
be  a  burden  to  herself  and  to  others.  Girls  who  set 
out  on  a  walk  across  country  must  not  only  be  prepared 
for  obstacles,  but  enjoy  them ;  fences,  hedges,  ditches, 


i88  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

swamps,  hills,  valleys,  brooks,  briars,  are  all  part  of 
the  day's  work.  A  walk  of  this  kind  ought  always  to 
be  taken  in  the  morning,  if  possible,  and  it  is  a  great 
mistake  to  waste  time  and  strength  in  walking  to  the 
place  where  the  country  part  of  the  walk  is  to  begin. 
Those  who  live  in  cities  will  do  wisely  to  take  a  trolley 
until  they  are  beyond  the  city  limit  and  so  save  all  their 
strength  for  the  country. 

The  rate  and  length  of  a  walk  are  matters  of  in- 
dividual taste  and  endurance.  Three  miles  an  hour 
is  a  good  average  rate.  Not  many  American  girls  can 
walk  as  much  as  ten  miles  at  a  stretch ;  five  or  six  is  a 
better  limit  for  them.  A  healthy  girl  after  such  a  walk 
ought  to  feel  hungry  for  her  next  meal  and  should 
sleep  soundly  as  soon  as  she  goes  to  bed,  getting  up 
next  day  quite  refreshed.  If  she  is  too  tired  to  eat,  if 
she  lies  awake  from  fatigue,  or  if  she  feels  used  up 
next  day,  the  walk  has  been  too  long  for  her,  and  she 
will  get  more  harm  than  good  from  it.  Beginners 
often  make  the  mistake  of  taking  too  long  walks,  for- 
getting that  most  people  have  to  train  themselves  by 
degrees.  A  few  weeks  or  months  of  practice  will  en- 
able a  girl  to  take  walks  that  were  quite  beyond  her 
power  at  first. 

A  suitable  dress  is  essential  for  cross-country  walk- 
ing; a  short  skirt,  coming  just  below  the  top  of  the 
boot  being  its  most  important  feature.  The  material 
of  the  skirt  ought  to  be  light  in  weight,  with  a  smooth 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  189 

surface.  Fuzzy  surfaces  or  those  with  raised  patterns 
are  constantly  catching  burrs  or  briars,  to  say  nothing 
of  unnecessary  dust.  Denim  makes  a  good  inexpen- 
sive skirt.  The  skirt  should  be  made  without  pleats, 
except  a  couple  at  the  back  to  give  freedom  of  move- 
ment. The  waist  ought  to  be  some  form  of  blouse 
and  one  made  of  wash  material  is  best.  If  there  is 
any  danger  of  being  chilly  it  is  better  to  carry  a  light 
jacket  than  to  wear  a  woolen  waist. 

The  boots  should  be  laced  neatly,  but  not  tightly, 
because  the  feet  and  ankles  are  liable  to  swell.  For 
this  reason  some  people  prefer  low  shoes,  but  unless 
the  swelling  is  marked  it  seems  a  pity  to  lose  the 
support  of  a  boot  around  the  ankle.  Tan  leather  is 
cooler  than  black  and  does  not  show  dust  so  freely. 
The  heels  must  be  low  and  flat,  an  inch  to  an  inch  and 
a  quarter  in  height  is  about  right.  Care  ought  to  be 
taken  to  see  that  they  do  not  become  worn  down  on 
one  side.  As  soon  as  they  show  any  tendency  this  way 
they  should  be  straightened,  for  if  the  foot  is  not  in 
the  right  position  while  walking,  the  fatigue  of  motion 
is  greatly  increased. 

The  choice  of  stockings  is  not  without  importance, 
for  the  foot  is  rubbed  by  an  ill-fitting  stocking  even 
more  quickly  than  by  an  ill-fitting  shoe.  The  stocking 
must  be  the  exact  size  of  the  foot  and  of  moderate 
thickness.  It  is  a  mistake  to  wear  thin  stockings  on 

long  walks,  for  there  is  great  danger  of  wearing  holes 
14 


190  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

in  them,  and  then  the  shoe  will  rub  the  skin.  Garters, 
whether  below  or  above  the  knee,  are  most  objection- 
able on  account  of  their  interference  with  the  circula- 
tion. 

The  hat  should  be  light  in  weight,  with  a  brim, 
but  no  trimming  except  a  scarf  of  muslin  or  silk.  Or- 
naments of  any  kind  upon  it  are  out  of  place.  It  is 
the  fashion  nowadays  to  go  without  a  hat  altogether, 
but  this  is  a  mistake,  for  sunburn  of  the  hair  is  very 
injurious,  giving  it  a  dull,  faded  look  and  making  it 
harsh  and  brittle. 

Riding  on  horseback  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  of 
outdoor  exercises,  but  the  expense  involved  is  so  great 
as  to  make  it  out  of  the  question  for  all  but  the  favored 
few.  It  is  a  pity,  however,  that  those  who  can  com- 
mand the  means  for  it  do  not  acquire  the  art  of  riding 
well.  Driving  is,  of  course,  only  a  passive  means  of 
exercise,  and  holds  much  the  same  position  as  sitting 
out  of  doors,  except  that  it  has  the  advantage  of  af- 
fording change  of  surroundings.  For  delicate  girls  or 
those  who  are  temporarily  incapacitated  it  is  an  excel- 
lent thing,  but  for  strong,  vigorous  girls  some  more 
active  form  of  exercise  is  better.  Moreover,  driving, 
like  riding,  involves  more  or  less  expense.  Bicycle 
riding  is  now  largely  a  thing  of  the  past;  it  has  its 
good  and  its  bad  side.  No  doubt  it  does,  as  its  advo- 
cates claim,  take  the  mind  off  cares  and  worries  and 
give  a  complete  mental  change,  together  with  fresh  air 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  191 

and  muscular  exercise.  On  the  other  hand,  it  obliges 
such  incessant  attention  to  itself  that  enjoyment  of 
scenery  or  agreeable  conversation  with  a  companion 
are  impossible,  and  it  rarely  fails  to  develop  a  species 
of  obsession  which  destroys  all  pleasure  in  any  other 
variety  of  amusement.  As  a  means  of  getting  over 
ground  it  is  useful  and  there  are  some  cases  for  which 
its  special  recommendations  as  a  form  of  activity  out- 
balance its  disadvantages;  but  there  is  certainly  no 
reason  for  regret  that  its  day  is  pretty  well  over. 

One  of  the  most  healthful  and  delightful  forms  of 
outdoor  exercise  is  skating,  and  it  is  a  pity  our  enjoy- 
ment of  it  in  this  climate  is  so  limited.  There  is  noth- 
ing which  shows  the  difference  between  past  and  pres- 
ent so  strongly  as  the  change  in  public  opinion  as  re- 
gards the  propriety  of  skating  for  girls.  In  our 
grandmothers'  time  it  was  considered  almost  as  inde- 
corous as  the  flying  trapeze.  An  old  lady  once  told 
me  that  in  her  childhood,  now  nearly  eighty  years  ago, 
her  desire  to  skate  with  her  brothers  was  refused  per- 
emptorily as  unladylike  and  tomboyish.  Other  little 
girls  submitted  meekly  to  the  restraint,  but  this  one, 
having  more  independence  and  inventiveness  than  her 
companions,  constructed  a  pair  of  skates  from  the  in- 
verted breastbones  of  turkeys,  and  with  these  primitive 
implements  she  skated  surreptitiously  upon  the  ice  in 
the  gutters  as  long  as  their  frail  support  lasted. 

Now  that  these  restrictions  are  a  thing  of  the  past, 


192  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

every  girl  ought  to  know  how  to  skate  and  practice  the 
accomplishment  whenever  the  opportunity  offers,  for 
as  a  means  of  physical  activity  in  the  open  air  it  has  no 
equal.  The  exhilaration  and  excitement  accompany- 
ing the  rapid  motion  in  the  cold  air  are  delightful  be- 
yond expression,  and  the  objection,  sometimes  made, 
of  possible  danger,  is  groundless,  if  only  the  most 
reasonable  precautions  are  taken.  It  is  within  the 
power  of  anyone  to  ascertain  the  thickness  of  the  ice 
to  be  skated  on  and  to  keep  away  from  thin  places. 
Two  inches  of  clear  black  ice  is  sufficient  to  bear;  if  it 
is  not  perfectly  clear  it  must  be  thicker ;  and  snow  ice, 
which  is  quite  insecure,  must  be  of  considerable  depth. 
Patent  screw  skates  which  do  not  require  straps 
are  best,  for  straps  interfere  with  the  circulation  in 
the  feet.  If  strap  skates  are  used,  they  must  be 
buckled  with  perfect  evenness.  The  extreme  length  of 
the  skate  should  not  exceed  the  length  of  the  boot,  and 
when  putting  it  on  the  blade  ought  to  follow  a  line 
from  the  center  of  the  heel  to  the  center  of  the  toe  of 
the  skate.  The  blade  must  be  moderately  sharp.  The 
boots  should  be  laced,  not  buttoned,  with  a  low,  level 
heel,  not  more  than  an  inch  in  height.  The  only  cases 
in  which  skating  is  not  a  healthful  exercise  are  those 
of  persons  whose  circulation  is  so  poor  that  they  can- 
not keep  warm,  even  with  all  possible  precautions.  If 
a  girl  finds  that,  in  spite  of  additional  warm  clothing 
she  continues  to  feel  chilly,  or  her  feet  are  persistently 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  193 

cold  and  numb,  she  had  better  give  up  skating,  for  the 
time  being,  at  any  rate.  Fortunately  such  cases  are 
extremely  rare,  and  even  when  they  occur,  a  few  years' 
interval  with  corresponding  improvement  in  the  gen- 
eral health  will  very  likely  remove  the  difficulty. 

In  places  where  the  climate  permits  little  opportunity 
for  enjoyment  upon  frozen  water,  there  is  so  much 
the  more  to  be  had  from  water  in  its  natural  state. 
Not  a  few  girls  make  beautiful  rowers,  though  there  is 
a  certain  tendency  with  them  to  take  all  the  strength  of 
the  pull  from  the  arms  instead  of  from  the  back,  which 
is  the  place  from  which  it  should  come;  the  arms  are 
only  the  medium  through  which  the  strength  is  exerted. 
Long  continued  rowing  with  the  strength  taken  from 
the  arms  will  result  in  a  contraction  of  the  chest  instead 
of  expansion  and  the  shoulders  will  get  a  forward,  in- 
stead of  a  backward  inclination.  This  tendency  to 
neglect  the  muscles  of  the  back  seems  to  be  innate  in 
women  and  therefore  girls  should  take  great  pains 
from  the  beginning  to  bring  them  into  play.  Another 
defect  apt  to  appear  in  girls'  rowing  is  burying  the  oar 
too  deeply  on  the  stroke  and  then  carrying  it  too  far 
up  on  the  recovery.  This  is  what  is  known  as  a 
"  rocking-horse  rowing."  The  blade  of  the  oar  ought 
to  be  only  just  neatly  covered  by  the  water  during  the 
stroke,  and  then  carried  just  clear  of  the  water  on  the 
recovery. 

The  girl  who  rows  ought,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to 


194  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

know  how  to  swim.  In  fact,  a  girl  who  cannot  swim 
should  not  row  in  water  more  than  three  to  four  feet 
deep,  a  restriction  which  greatly  interferes  with  the 
pleasure  of  rowing.  But  apart  from  any  question  of 
safety,  swimming  as  a  physical  exercise  is  full  of  en- 
joyment. Whenever  a  girl  has  a  chance  to  learn 
swimming,  she  ought  to  take  it,  but  her  first  efforts 
must  always  be  superintended  by  someone  with  ex- 
perience, for  if  she  should  have  any  unsuspected  heart 
weakness,  it  may  show  itself  suddenly  under  the  exer- 
tion. A  difficulty  which  girls  have  to  contend  with  in 
swimming  is  that  their  bathing  suits  are  almost  always 
too  heavy.  A  bathing  suit  should  be  made  of  the  light- 
est possible  flannel,  and  it  is  much  better  for  it  not  to 
have  a  skirt.  Full  knickerbockers  make  a  perfectly 
modest  and  ladylike  costume  and  anyone  who  has  ever 
tried  swimming  with  and  without  a  skirt  will  appre- 
ciate the  amount  of  discomfort  caused  by  one. 

Of  all  the  various  terrestrial  amusements  golf  is 
probably  the  one  which,  taking  all  things  together,  has 
most  to  offer.  It  keeps  the  player  in  the  open  air  for 
long  spaces  of  time  without  violent  exertion  and  pos- 
sible over-taxation  of  strength ;  it  is  possible  to  play  it 
almost  all  the  year  round ;  it  does  not  require  unusual 
vigor  or  muscular  development ;  it  can  be  played  alone, 
so  far  as  enjoyment  is  concerned,  without  either  an- 
tagonist or  spectators ;  and  finally,  it  is  possible  to  play 
an  agreeable  game  over  rough  surroundings  not  es- 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  195 

pecially  prepared  for  the  purpose.  Over  and  above  all 
these  excellencies,  golf  possesses  the  additional  merits 
of  exerting  an  admirable  moral  influence,  arising  from 
its  constant  struggle  towards  perfection  independent  of 
competition. 

Tennis  is  a  game  for  the  robust  only.  In  itself 
there  is  much  to  recommend  it,  and  no  doubt  many 
girls  growing  up  to-day  are  vigorous  enough  to  play  it 
just  as  their  brothers  do ;  nevertheless,  the  fact  remains 
that  it  is  a  pastime  which  demands  strength  and  endur- 
ance in  considerable  amount.  Any  girl  who  attempts 
tennis  and  finds  that  after  a  reasonable  interval  al- 
lowed for  training,  she  cannot  play  without  excessive 
effort  or  long-enduring  fatigue,  ought  to  give  it  up. 

Basket  ball  and  hockey  are  still  more  strenuous  than 
tennis,  moreover  they  are  games  which  must  be  played 
in  teams  and  are,  therefore,  especially  suited  for 
schools  and  colleges.  There  is  a  certain  antagonism  to 
them  among  conservative  people,  because  they  are  vio- 
lent and  (at  any  rate  in  appearance)  very  rude.  More- 
over, the  element  of  danger  is  by  no  means  absent.  It 
is  quite  certain  that  the  "  fiercely  competitive  element  " 
condemned  by  Dean  Briggs,  is  present  in  all  match 
games  between  different  institutions,  and  time  only  can 
show  whether  the  objections  on  this  score  are  strong 
enough  to  make  interschool  and  intercollegiate  games 
wholly  unsuitable  for  girls.  But  as  an  outlet  for  ani- 
mal spirits  and  youthful  energy  among  healthy  young 


196  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

girls  living  in  communities  without  the  element  of  out- 
side competition,  they  certainly  serve  a  useful  purpose. 
Most  boarding  schools  for  girls  have  now  some  provi- 
sion for  basket-ball,  and  this  resource,  together  with 
other  forms  of  outdoor  exercise,  is  one  reason  why  the 
outbursts  of  hysteria,  running  through  the  whole 
school,  which  used  to  be  a  feature  of  such  institutions, 
are  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  Moreover,  these  pursuits 
afford  an  outlet  for  the  high  spirits  and  love  of  excite- 
ment characteristic  of  girlhood,  which  formerly  found 
expression  in  all  kinds  of  mischief  and  insubordina- 
tion. 

IV.  SLEEP 

Nothing  is  more  important  to  the .  health  of  the 
young  than  abundance  of  sleep.  The  amount  of  sleep 
necessary  in  adult  life  differs  with  different  individ- 
uals, and  some  persons  get  along  with  very  little ;  but 
no  young  person  can  do  this.  Up  to  twenty  or  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  the  allowance  of  sleep  cannot  be  less- 
ened without  serious  bad  effects.  Every  girl  between 
twelve  and  fifteen  ought  to  have  ten  hours'  sleep  and 
between  fifteen  and  twenty,  nine  hours.  That  is  to 
say,  she  ought  not  to  have  less  than  that  amount.  If 
she  can  take  more,  so  much  the  better  for  her.  There 
is,  or  at  any  rate  there  ought  to  be,  no  difficulty  in  pro- 
viding this  amount  of  sleep  for  a  young  girl.  If  she  is 
in  bed  and  asleep  by  half  past  nine  and  gets  up  at  half 
past  seven,  she  has  had  the  full  allowance. 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  197 

Many  persons  have  fixed  ideas  as  to  their  sleeping 
arrangements  and  believe  that  they  cannot  possibly 
sleep  unless  the  conditions  are  those  to  which  they  are 
accustomed.  It  is  a  great  pity  to  get  into  the 
habit  of  being  dependent  upon  any  sort  of  external 
condition  and  young  people  ought  to  train  themselves 
carefully  to  disregard  such  things.  It  is  just  as  easy 
to  train  one's  self  to  be  independent  of  externals  as  to 
train  one's  self  the  other  way.  Only  two  things  are 
really  necessary  to  healthy  sleep ;  fresh  air  and  warmth 
of  the  body.  To  obtain  these  conditions  it  is  justifi- 
able to  make  an  effort  and  give  trouble  to  other  peo- 
ple, but  not  for  anything  else. 

The  atmosphere  of  a  sleeping  room  is  of  real  im- 
portance to  health.  When  we  remember  that  over 
one-third  of  our  time  is  passed  in  sleep,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  atmosphere  in  the  room  in  which  we  sleep 
is  a  matter  of  some  little  importance,  and  as  we  are 
unable  to  do  anything  to  regulate  the  atmosphere  while 
we  sleep,  it  is  desirable  to  make  preparations  for  ven- 
tilation before  going  to  bed.  The  windows  of  a  sleep- 
ing room  ought  to  be  open  both  in  summer  and  win- 
ter. To  sleep  with  the  windows  open  is  largely  a  mat- 
ter of  habit,  and  there  is  no  healthy  girl  who  cannot 
accustom  herself  to  it.  It  is  true  that  if  anyone  who 
has  not  been  used  to  sleeping  with  the  windows  open, 
makes  her  first  trial  of  it  during  cold  weather,  she 
will,  quite  likely,  catch  cold;  but  this  is  a  small  mat- 


198  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

ter  compared  to  the  benefit  resulting  from  the  habit  in 
the  long  run. 

No  one,  of  course,  ought,  in  the  old-fashioned 
phrase,  to  "  sleep  cold,"  but  there  is  no  reason  for  do- 
ing this  even  if  the  windows  are  open.  Unfortunately 
there  are  many  persons  who  consider  it  a  fixed  princi- 
ple of  health  that  the  heating  apparatus  in  a  room, 
whether  it  is  a  fire,  a  stove,  a  hot-air  flue,  or  a  steam 
radiator,  shall  be  shut  off  on  going  to  bed.  This  idea 
has  a  curious  hold  even  upon  people  who  possess  no 
real  hygienic  principles  whatever,  but  it  is  an  entirely 
mistaken  one  from  which  much  mischief  has  sprung. 
To  sleep  in  a  room  with  the  heat  turned  on  and  the 
windows  shut  is  very  unhealthy,  of  course,  but  there  is 
no  reason  whatever  that  the  heat  should  be  turned  off, 
if  the  windows  are  open.  The  temperature  of  a  sleep- 
ing room  should  be  about  55  deg.  to  60  deg.  F., 
and  of  course  it  will  fall  greatly  below  this  during 
the  winter  in  a  room  where  the  windows  are  open,  if 
there  is  no  artificial  heat.  Bodily  warmth  is  necessary 
to  sleep,  therefore  the  bed-clothes  ought  to  be  warm, 
but  this  does  not  mean  that  they  should  be  heavy. 
The  down  quilts  now  in  use  are  a  great  blessing,  for 
they  give  the  maximum  of  warmth  with  the  minimum 
of  weight.  It  is  a  pity  they  are  so  often  regarded  in 
the  light  of  luxuries,  for  one  of  them  is  really  not  so 
expensive  as  a  good  pair  of  blankets,  and  far  more  use- 
ful. Whatever  the  covering  to  the  bed  may  be,  the 


BODILY  FUNCTIONS  199 

heavy  outer  spread  of  white  material  should  be  taken 
off  at  night,  for  it  presses  upon  the  body  and  keeps  it 
from  assuming  comfortable  attitudes  while  sleeping 
without  contributing  to  warmth.  There  ought  always 
to  be  some  additional  covering  near  at  hand  which  can 
be  drawn  up  in  the  early  morning  when  the  room  is 
coldest  and  the  vitality  of  the  body  at  the  lowest.  On 
getting  up  in  the  morning  the  bed  clothes  ought  to  be 
turned  back  completely  from  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and 
if  the  windows  are  shut  while  dressing,  they  must  be 
opened  again  when  the  toilet  is  finished,  so  that  the 
inside  of  the  bed  shall  have  a  chance  to  be  thoroughly 
exposed  to  the  fresh  air. 

A  great  deal  has  been  written  and  said  about  the 
position  in  sleeping,  but  after  all,  the  best  position  is 
that  which  is  the  most  comfortable.  It  makes  no  real 
difference  whether  a  person  lies  on  the  side  or  the 
back,  or  even  on  the  face ;  whether  the  head  is  high  or 
low.  The  only  question  of  importance  is  whether 
the  attitude  is  comfortable  and  the  sleep  is  good.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  many  people  cannot  sleep  on  the  back 
without  being  restless  and  uncomfortable,  with  horri- 
ble dreams  or  nightmare.  There  are  a  few  persons, 
however,  who  sleep  more  comfortably  on  the  back  than 
in  any  other  posture. 

Sleeplessness,  or  to  call  it  by  its  technical  name, 
insomnia,  is  rare  in  young  girls ;  when  it  does  occur,  it 
is  a  sign  that  the  nervous  system  is  much  out  of  order. 


200  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

Nervous  disturbance  in  young  people,  however,  is  more 
apt  to  show  itself  in  restless  sleep,  with  bad  dreams 
and  nightmares,  or  sudden  and  terrified  awakenings, 
than  in  the  absence  of  sleep.  Another  form  of  ner- 
vous disturbance  is  sleep-walking.  All  these  disturb- 
ances are  especially  apt  to  manifest  themselves  about 
puberty.  They  are  always  a  sign  that  something  is 
wrong  with  the  nervous  system,  and  if  the  cause  is 
sought,  it  will  usually  be  found  in  some  nervous  strain 
or  pressure.  Too  much  school-work,  anxiety  and 
worry  about  standing  in  classes  or  in  examinations, 
exciting  reading  out  of  school,  when  time  should  be 
spent  out  of  doors  in  the  open  air, —  are  all  favoring 
causes.  Disturbance  of  sleep  in  young  girls  is  rare, 
but  when  it  does  occur,  whatever  its  cause,  it  is  a 
serious  thing  and  should  never  be  neglected. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

PERSONAL  HYGIENE 

Skin  —  Bathing  —  Complexion  —  Teeth  —  Hair  —  Hands 
—  Feet  —  Eyes  —  Ears. 

THE  skin  consists  of  two  layers:  the  epidermis,  or 
outer  skin,  and  the  true  skin,  or  dermis.  In  the  lower 
portion  of  the  true  skin  are  the  sweat  glands  which 
discharge  their  secretion  by  means  of  ducts  opening  on 
the  surface  of  the  epidermis.  These  glands  are  pres- 
ent almost  all  over  the  body  and  it  has  been  estimated 
that  there  are  altogether  about  two  millions  of  them. 
A  considerable  part  of  the  excretion  of  the  body  is 
done  by  the  sweat  glands,  a  good  deal  of  water  being 
removed  by  them  each  day  as  well  as  various  waste 
products,  the  whole  forming  the  sweat,  or  perspiration. 
The  sweat  glands  also  perform  an  important  function 
in  the  regulation  of  the  temperature  of  the  body. 

If  the  sweat  glands,  for  any  reason,  fail  to  act,  per- 
spiration ceases  altogether  and  death  takes  place  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours,  partly  because  the  waste  prod- 
ucts that  should  be  excreted  by  the  skin  collect  in  the 
blood  and  act  as  poisons  to  the  body,  and  partly  be- 
cause the  temperature  is  no  longer  properly  regulated. 

201 


202  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

This  is  why  superficial  burns,  if  they  copier  a  large  part 
of  the  body,  are  dangerous,  so  many  of  the  sweat 
glands  being  destroyed  that  the  waste  products  accu- 
mulate to  a  fatal  degree. 

The  outermost  cells  in  the  epidermis  are  continually 
being  thrown  off  and  replaced  by  new  cells  from  be- 
low. On  these  superficial  cells  the  dried  perspiration 
collects,  mixed  with  dust  and  dirt  from  the  atmos- 
phere, the  whole  forming  a  film  that  chokes  the  open- 
ing of  the  sweat  glands,  commonly  known  as  the 
"  pores  of  the  skin  "  and  interferes  with  their  activity. 
To  maintain  health  this  film  should  be  removed  by 
means  of  a  daily  bath,  followed  by  brisk  rubbing  which 
aids  in  its  removal  beside  stimulating  the  activity  of 
the  sweat  glands.  Of  course  there  are  plenty  of  peo- 
ple who  do  not  take  a  daily  bath  and  yet  seem  to  en- 
joy excellent  health,  the  dried  epidermis  being  re- 
moved to  a  certain  extent  by  the  friction  of  the  cloth- 
ing. But  without  daily  attention  to  the  skin  the  sweat 
glands  are  always  sluggish  and  more  or  less  choked, 
which  means  that  the  kidneys  are  forced  to  undertake 
more  than  their  share  of  the  excretion  of  the  body 
and  in  the  long  run  they  suffer  from  overwork.  We 
do  not  know  how  many  of  the  people  who  neglect  the 
care  of  their  skins  and  yet  seem  in  good  health  suf- 
fer ultimately  from  disease  of  the  kidneys  that  might 
have  been  avoided. 

But  there  is  a  wider  significance  in  personal  cleanli- 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  203 

ness  than  appears  in  its  physical  relations.  A  strong 
moral  influence  tending  to  self-respect  lies  behind  the 
daily  bath,  and  the  importance  attached  to  bathing  in 
many  countries  as  a  part  of  religious  observances  and 
ceremonial  rites  probably  had  its  origin  in  the  percep- 
tion of  this  fact. 

A  full  bath,  once  in  every  twenty-four  hours,  is  a 
duty  incumbent  upon  every  girl  and  she  should  take 
pains  to  acquire  the  habit  in  girlhood  when  she  as- 
sumes the  charge  of  her  own  toilet,  if  it  has  not  been 
formed  before.  The  only  question  in  regard  to  the 
bath  is  what  kind  it  shall  be  and  what  is  the  most  con- 
venient way  of  taking  it. 

A  cold  plunge  into  a  tub  on  first  getting  up  in  the 
morning  is  the  ideal  thing,  but  not  every  girl  is  strong 
enough  to  stand  it  and  not  every  girl  can  command  the 
requisite  facilities  for  it.  Any  doubt  as  to  whether 
the  strength  is  equal  to  a  cold  plunge  bath  is  deter- 
mined by  its  after-effects.  No  bath  is  properly  taken 
unless  it  is  followed  by  brisk  friction  over  the  whole 
body,  in  order  to  remove  the  dried  flakes  of  epidermis 
and  stimulate  the  circulation.  On  first  coming  out  of 
the  water  the  skin  should  be  carefully  dried  with  a 
soft  towel  that  absorbs  moisture  easily,  and  this  should 
be  followed  by  a  vigorous  rubbing  with  a  dry  towel, 
as  rough  and  coarse  as  possible  or  else  some  sort  of 
flesh-brush.  When  the  rubbing  is  finished,  the  skin 
should  be  red  and  the  nails  pink,  and  there  should  be  a 


204  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

sensation  of  warmth  and  pleasant  exhilaration.  If, 
in  spite  of  vigorous  friction,  there  is  a  feeling  of  chilli- 
ness, and  the  skin  is  pallid,  with  the  appearance  known 
as  "  goose-flesh,"  while  the  lips  and  nails  are  blue,  the 
bath  has  done  more  harm  than  good. 

It  is  a  pity,  however,  to  give  up  a  cold  plunge  bath 
on  the  first  failure,  for  the  want  of  success  may  be  due 
to  imperfection  in  some  of  the  details  which  can  be 
remedied.  Some  women  can  stand  a  much  colder  bath 
than  others.  Water  between  65°  and  75°  F.  is  dis- 
tinctly cool  and  many  people  get  a  good  reaction  after 
a  bath  at  this  temperature,  who  cannot'  stand  a  lower 
one.  The  temperature  of  the  room  in  which  the 
bather  dresses  after  the  bath  has  a  decided  influence 
on  the  reaction.  The  bathroom  itself  need  not  be 
warm,  if  the  bather  can  go  directly  into  another  of  a 
higher  temperature,  but  to  dress  in  a  cold  room  is 
very  likely  to  check  the  reaction. 

The  towel  used  for  friction  must  be  absolutely  dry, 
for  friction  with  a  damp  towel  is  almost  worse  than 
no  friction  at  all.  This  is  why  two  different  towels 
must  be  used.  The  temperature  of  the  body  when  the 
bath  is  taken  also  has  an  influence  on  reaction.  A  cold 
bath  should  never  be  taken  when  the  body  is  cold. 
The  best  time  for  it  is  just  after  rising  in  the  morning, 
while  the  warmth  from  sleep  still  remains,  for  if  an  in- 
terval is  allowed  to  elapse  before  taking  the  bath  the 
body  will  have  an  opportunity  to  become  chilled,  and 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  205 

whenever  this  occurs  the  reaction  will  very  likely 
fail. 

If  all  these  minor  matters  are  adjusted  and  the 
plunge  bath  is  still  a  failure,  it  may  be  possible  to  make 
it  a  success  by  a  gradual  effort.  A  tepid  bath,  with 
water  between  80°  and  90°  F.  may  be  tried  at  first, 
and  the  temperature  reduced  a  trifle  each  day,  until 
the  point  is  reached  below  which  the  bather  is  chilly 
afterwards.  By  this  means  it  is  sometimes  possible  to 
take  a  bath  at  a  temperature  which,  at  first,  would  be 
entirely  too  low.  Coarse  salt,  if  possible  sea  salt, 
added  to  the  water,  is  sometimes  an  aid  to  reaction. 
But  if  every  effort  to  take  a  cold  plunge  bath  has  been 
made  without  success,  it  had  better  be  given  up.  No 
benefit  will  result  from  it  if  it  is  not  followed  by  a 
healthy  reaction,  and  it  may  do  a  great  deal  of  harm. 

The  next  best  thing  to  a  cold  tub  bath  is  a  cold 
sponge,  and  there  is  hardly  anyone  who  cannot  take  it. 
Some  people,  however,  prefer  a  tub  bath  in  tepid 
water,  but  in  this  case  there  is  little  or  no  reaction. 

There  is  no  reason,  as  was  said  elsewhere,  that  a 
cold  sponge  bath  should  not  be  taken  during  the  men- 
strual period,  though  it  may  be  better  not  to  take  a 
cold  plunge. 

But  cold  baths,  refreshing  and  healthful  as  they  are, 
do  not  altogether  satisfy  the  demands  of  cleanliness. 
If  the  skin  is  to  be  kept  perfectly  free  from  dead  epi- 
dermis and  dried  secretions,  a  warm  or  a  hot  bath 

15 


2o6  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

must  be  taken  two  or  three  times  a  week.  The  best 
time  to  take  such  a  bath  is  just  before  going  to  bed 
at  night,  when  the  skin  can  safely  remain  relaxed  for 
some  time.  There  is  a  certain  prejudice  against  hot 
baths,  because  they  are  believed  to  be  unduly  depress- 
ing to  the  nervous  system,  but  unless  the  bather  re- 
mains in  the  water  a  very  long  time  there  is  no  danger 
of  such  a  thing.  The  same  friction  should  be  used  as 
after  a  cold  bath. 

There  seems  to  be  a  great  diversity  of  opinion  as  to 
the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  using  soap  upon 
the  skin,  some  persons  claiming  that  it  does  harm, 
while  others  are  sure  that  it  does  good.  The  reason 
for  these  differences  probably  arises  largely  from  the 
fact  that  there  is  a  good  deal  of  difference  in  the  effect 
of  soap  upon  different  skins,  so  that  some  skins  are 
benefited  by  it,  while  others  are  not.  The  quality  of 
soap  also  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  its  effect  upon 
the  skin. 

Soap  is  composed  of  an  alkali  (potash  or  soda)  and 
an  oil.  The  alkali  is  useful  in  lessening  the  dead  epi- 
dermis and  furthering  its  removal,  but  if  it  is  in  ex- 
cess the  skin  becomes  harsh  and  dry.  Cheap  soaps 
often  contain  too  much  alkali,  besides  other  ingre- 
dients injurious  to  the  skin.  It  is  important  to  secure 
a  good  soap,  such  as  the  renowned  Pears',  or  the  old- 
fashioned  castile.  If  the  skin  is  harsh  and  dry  after  a 
really  reliable  soap  has  been  used,  there  is  reason  to 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  207 

conclude  that  it  will  not  bear  the  use  of  soap  except 
occasionally.  But  such  skins  are  not  common. 

Unfortunately,  bathrooms  with  set  tubs  and  hot  and 
cold  water  fixtures  are  not  at  everybody's  command. 
Not  a  few  girls,  who  live  in  boarding  houses,  or  other 
crowded  quarters  have  only  a  limited  use  of  a  bath- 
room, not  to  mention  those  who  reside  in  remote  coun- 
try districts  where  what  are  known  as  "  modern  con- 
veniences "  have  never  been  introduced.  Girls  who 
have  to  contend  with  difficulties  of  this  kind  may  take 
comfort  from  Miss  Florence  Nightingale's  remark 
that  "  a  bath  can  be  taken  in  a  tea-cup  if  the  inten- 
tions are  good."  Certainly  it  can  be  accomplished 
with  extremely  limited  facilities. 

There  are  various  kinds  of  tubs  which  can  be  used  in 
a  bedroom.  The  old-fashioned  "  hat-tub "  answers 
the  purpose  quite  well,  but  it  takes  up  a  great  deal  of 
room.  A  small-sized  zinc  or  tin  tub,  shaped  like  a  pie- 
dish  and  about  five  or  six  inches  deep,  can  be  had  for 
small  expense  and  is  easily  disposed  of  when  out  of 
use.  Papier  mache  tubs  of  this  shape  are  very  good 
and  delightfully  light,  but  they  are  rather  more  ex- 
pensive. Some  of  the  latter  are  so  constructed  that 
they  can  be  shut  up  when  not  in  use.  Whatever  kind 
of  tub  is  used,  except  the  hat-tub,  requires  some  pro- 
tection under  it  to  prevent  wetting  the  floor.  The  best 
thing  is  the  sheet  of  india-rubber  cloth  sold  for  the 
purpose,  but  if  this  is  too  expensive,  the  white  enamel 


2o8  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

cloth  used  to  cover  kitchen  tables  makes  an  excellent 
substitute. 

It  is  not  necessary,  however,  to  have  a  tub  in  order 
to  take  a  bath.  A  basin,  a  pitcher  full  of  water,  a 
piece  of  soap,  a  sponge  or  a  washcloth,  and  a  couple 
of  towels,  are  really  all  the  essentials.  Then,  if  a 
piece  of  enamel  cloth  is  spread  upon  the  floor  to  stand 
on,  it  is  easy  to  wash  the  whole  surface  of  the  body 
with  as  much  thoroughness,  if  not  as  much  luxury,  as 
in  a  tub.  If  possible,  it  is  well  to  have  two  basins,  one 
filled  with  soapsuds  and  the  other  with  clean  water  for 
rinsing. 

The  skin  of  the  face,  otherwise  the  complexion,  re- 
quires special  care,  because  it  is  the  most  exposed  part 
of  the  body,  a  fact  which  few  people  realize.  AU 
parts  of  the  body,  except  the  face  and  hands,  arv> 
habitually  covered  by  clothing,  and  even  the  hands  are 
protected  out-of-doors  by  gloves,  but  the  face  has  noth- 
ing to  shelter  it  from  the  dust  and  dirt  of  the  atmos> 
phere,  as  well  as  the  roughening  effects  of  wind,  except 
a  thin  veil. 

The  face  should  be  washed  twice  in  every  twenty- 
four  hours  and  one  of  these  times  with  soap.  There 
is  a  common  impression  that  soap  is  bad  for  the  com- 
plexion, even  though  it  may  be  good  for  the  rest  of 
the  body,  and  people  who  employ  it  habitually  on  a 
little  baby's  tender  skin  will  avoid  the  use  of  it  on  their 
faces  on  the  plea  that  the  skin  there  is  too  delicate.  A 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  209 

moment's  thought  shows  the  inconsistency  of  this 
standpoint.  The  trouble  is  that  people  do  not  know, 
or  if  they  do  know  they  forget,  that  the  sweat  glands 
are  abundant  on  the  face,  and  as  the  face  is  peculiarly 
exposed  to  the  dust  and  dirt  of  the  atmosphere  the 
openings  of  the  glands  are  liable  to  be  choked.  There 
is  really  no  place  in  the  body,  therefore,  where  the 
dead  epidermis  and  dried  secretions  require  removal 
so  greatly  as  on  the  face,  and  soap  assists  greatly  in 
the  process,  besides  stimulating  the  sweat  glands  to  ac- 
tivity, which  does  more  than  anything  else  to  keep 
the  complexion  clear  and  soft.  The  medicated  soaps, 
from  which  so  much  benefit  is  said  to  be  derived,  owe 
their  action  in  large  measure  to  the  cleansing  and  stim- 
ulating effects  which  any  pure  soap  can  furnish  as 
well.  But  it  is  characteristic  of  human  nature  to  put 
confidence  in  whatever  is  troublesome,  unusual,  and 
expensive. 

At  night  the  face  ought  to  be  washed  with  water  as 
hot  as  can  be  borne  and  a  good  soap.  The  washing 
should  be  kept  up  for  several  minutes  and  the  face 
must  be  dried  afterwards  with  a  soft  towel.  The 
coarse  towels,  which  are  so  good  for  the  rest  of  the 
body,  are  not  desirable  for  the  face.  If  the  complex- 
ion is  rough  or  shows  a  tendency  to  pimples,  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  hold  the  face  over  the  steam  from  a 
basin  full  of  boiling  water  for  five  minutes  or  so. 
In  the  morning  the  face  should  be  washed  in  cold 


210  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

water,  and  soap  is  not  then  necessary,  if  it  has  been 
used  the  night  before. 

If  the  complexion  is  muddy  or  rough,  or  has  occa- 
sional slight  eruptions,  careful  attention  to  these  direc- 
tions will  quite  likely  relieve  the  trouble  entirely;  if 
not  a  physician  should  be  consulted,  and  if  possible,  a 
skin  specialist.  The  old-fashioned  idea  that  a  disor- 
dered skin  in  young  girls  should  always  be  left  to 
nature,  is  open  to  the  objection  that  only  a  physician 
can  say  when  it  may  safely  be  left  alone  and  when 
active  treatment  is  necessary. 

Cosmetics  should  never  be  used  without  a  doctor's 
sanction.  Many  of  those  on  the  market  contain  harm- 
ful ingredients,  and  even  if  they  are  harmless  they 
tend  to  clog  the  openings  of  the  glands  and  check 
their  activity.  The  same  objections  apply  to  face 
powders  though  in  a  less  degree.  Their  regular  use 
is  to  be  condemned,  but  a  harmless  one  may  be  used 
occasionally,  especially  in  very  hot  weather,  when  the 
skin  has  a  tendency  to  become  moist  and  shiny.  The 
best  face-powder  is  one  prepared  at  home  from  pow- 
dered starch,  or  rice-powder,  or  corn-starch,  with  the 
addition  of  a  little  powdered  orris-root,  if  a  perfume 
is  desired.  Talcum  powder,  however,  is  quite  harm- 
less. 

In  old  times  it  was  considered  a  girl's  duty  to  pro- 
tect her  face  from  the  sun,  the  wind,  and  the  rain. 
Now-a-days,  the  freedom  of  outdoor  life  has  done 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  211 

away  with  all  such  precautions.  No  doubt  this  is  a 
great  advantage,  and  if  girls  have  lost  something  in 
the  delicacy  of  their  skins,  they  have  gained  more 
than  its  equivalent  in  health.  It  may  be,  nevertheless, 
that  we  have  gone  a  little  too  far  in  the  other  direc- 
tion. Plenty  of  fresh  air  and  active  exercise  can  be 
obtained  without  dispensing  with  a  hat  for  the  entire 
summer.  The  tanning  of  a  whole  season  passes  off  in 
the  winter,  but  the  skin  is  never  quite  so  smooth  and 
fine  as  it  was  before.  Strong,  harsh  winds  in  the  win- 
ter are  very  bad  for  the  skin  and  the  face  should  al- 
ways be  protected  from  them  by  a  veil. 

Hair  is  a  modification  of  the  epidermis.  Each  in- 
dividual hair  consists  of  a  shaft,  which  is  the  visible 
part,  and  a  root  embedded  in  the  skin.  The  root  lies 
in  a  little  follicle  supplied  with  nerves  and  blood  ves- 
sels, as  well  as  with  two  little  glands,  called  sebaceous 
glands,  the  secretion  from  which  keeps  the  hair  smooth 
and  supple.  The  shaft  of  the  hair  is  circular  in  shape, 
but  sometimes  the  circle  is  a  little  imperfect  at  differ- 
ent points,  owing  to  a  flattening  of  its  surface,  just  as 
a  piece  of  lead  pipe  may  be  flattened  and  indented  at 
intervals.  These  imperfections  of  the  shaft  cause  the 
hair  to  bend  easily  at  the  flattened  places,  producing 
the  curl  which  is  so  much  admired. 

A  long,  thick  suit  of  hair  is  a  beautiful  thing  in 
the  abstract,  but  in  civilized  society  it  cannot  be  dis- 
played in  its  natural  state  and  the  length  and  thick- 


212  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

ness  upon  which  its  beauty  depends  make  its  arrange- 
ment difficult  and  often  clumsy.  For  practical  pur- 
poses hair  of  moderate  length  and  thickness,  which 
grows  prettily  and  can  be  arranged  easily  and  grace- 
fully, is  a  much  more  valuable  asset,  and  the  beauty 
of  such  hair  depends  largely  upon  the  care  taken  of  it. 
Once  in  every  twenty-four  hours,  the  hair  should  be 
brushed  carefully,  in  order  to  remove  the  dust  that 
accumulates  in  it  from  the  surrounding  atmosphere 
and  stimulate  the  sebaceous  glands  to  activity.  There 
is  a  belief  among  some  people  that  brushing  is  a  bad 
thing  because  it  pulls  out  the  hairs.  If  the  hairs  do 
come  out  under  the  process  of  brushing,  it  is  because 
the  brush  is  too  stiff,  not  because  there  is  anything 
injurious  in  the  process  itself.  Coarse,  thick  hair 
needs  a  stiff  brush,  while  for  fine,  thin  hair  a  soft  one 
is  much  better.  Wire  brushes  are  always  to  be 
avoided,  but  a  bristle  brush  is,  in  many  people's  opin- 
ion, of  great  service.  It  takes  all  the  dust  out  of  the 
hair  and  off  the  scalp,  and  stimulates  the  roots  most 
thoroughly.  Without  brushing  the  hair  can  never  be 
kept  in  a  really  healthy  condition,  since  its  healthful- 
ness  depends  upon  the  activity  of  the  glands  at  the 
root,  and  these  require  constant  stimulation.  Rubbing 
the  skin  at  the  roots  of  the  hair  with  the  fingers  is 
sometimes  suggested  as  a  substitute  for  brushing,  but 
it  can  never  really  fill  the  same  place,  because  the 
amount  of  time  required  to  give  the  same  stimulation 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  213 

by  friction  with  the  fingers  is  more  than  most  people 
can  command ;  moreover,  the  hairs  themselves  receive 
no  attention  from  the  massage,  whereas  the  brushing 
keeps  them  clean  and  smooth.  A  comb  is  useful  for 
removing  tangles  and  in  the  arrangement  of  the  hair 
upon  the  head,  but  it  can  never  take  the  place  of  the 
brush. 

From  time  to  time  the  hair  requires  to  be  washed, 
but  no  exact  rule  can  be  given  as  to  how  often.  Girls 
who  live  in  the  city,  where  the  surrounding  atmosphere 
is  full  of  dust  and  smoke,  need  to  wash  their  hair 
oftener  than  those  who  live  in  the  country,  where  the 
hair  is  free  from  such  impurities.  The  nature  of  the 
hair  itself  also  enters  into  the  question.  Heavy,  glossy 
hair  requires  washing  at  more  frequent  intervals  than 
that  which  is  dry  and  brittle.  All  that  can  be  said 
positively  as  to  the  frequency  of  hair  washing  is  that 
it  ought  to  be  at  intervals  of  a  week  to  a  month. 

Sometimes  it  is  impossible,  for  one  reason  or  an- 
other, to  wash  the  hair  without  risk  of  taking  cold, 
and  when  this  is  the  case  a  dry  shampoo  is  useful, 
though  it  can  never  take  the  place  of  washing  and 
shampooing  together.  To  give  this  kind  of  shampoo, 
the  hair  must  first  be  thoroughly  brushed,  after  which 
powdered  orris  root  is  rubbed  into  the  roots  with  the 
tips  of  the  fingers,  very  slowly  and  carefully,  until  the 
whole  surface  of  the  head  is  covered.  At  the  end  of 
half  an  hour  the  orris  root  is  brushed  out  and  with  it 


214  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

comes  the  dust  accumulated  on  the  hair  or  the  skin 
of  the  head.  If  the  hair  is  harsh  and  dry  it  is 
a  good  plan  to  make  the  powder  of  equal  parts  of 
orris  root  and  corn-meal. 

Some  hair  is  always  thin  and  rough  from  a  defi- 
ciency of  the  secretion  in  the  glands  at  its  roots.  This 
sort  of  hair  has  a  tendency  to  come  out ;  in  fact,  when- 
ever hair  begins  to  get  thinner  it  is  also  rough  and 
harsh.  The  only  cure  for  this  state  of  things  is  to 
stimulate  the  sebaceous  glands,  and  one  of  the  best 
means  of  doing  this  is  brushing.  Miss  Martineau,  the 
authoress,  tells  us  in  her  autobiography  that  she  en- 
dured much  distress  and  mortification  in  her  youth 
from  the  thinness  and  roughness  of  her  hair  until  an 
aunt  suggested  that  the  trouble  might  arise  from  the 
fact  that  she  used  a  comb  entirely  instead  of  a  brush 
and  the  suggestion  being  adopted  proved  a  signal  suc- 
cess. If  persistent  brushing  does  not  stop  the  hair 
from  coming  out  it  is  a  good  plan  to  get  a  prescription 
for  a  hair  tonic  from  a  doctor.  These  tonics  are  all 
based  upon  the  principle  of  stimulating  the  glands  and 
contain  something  which  serves  that  purpose. 

A  Japanese  physician  has  recently  shown  that  if  a 
hair  is  examined  under  the  microscope  soon  after  an 
illness  it  is  seen  to  be  thinner  along  the  part  of  its 
length  which  corresponds  to  the  duration  of  the  ail- 
ment. When  the  illness  is  accompanied  by  fever  all 
the  hair  on  the  head  generally  comes  off,  because  the 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  215 

rise  of  temperature  stops  the  secretion  of  the  sebaceous 
glands.  New  hairs,  of  course,  begin  to  grow  as  soon 
as  the  illness  is  over  and  the  glands  recover  their 
activity,  but  all  that  can  be  done  for  the  old  ones 
is  to  get  rid  of  them  with  as  little  inconvenience  as 
possible.  Cutting  the  hair  close  to  the  head  or  even 
shaving  the  head  is  much  recommended  as  an  effec- 
tual means  of  securing  a  new  crop,  but  such  a  pro- 
ceeding has  really  no  influence  at  all  upon  the  growth 
of  the  new  hair.  Indirectly,  cutting  the  hair  is  a  good 
thing  to  do,  because  it  is  much  easier  to  stimulate 
the  roots  of  the  new  hairs  when  the  old  hair  is  short 
than  when  it  is  long.  A  girl  who  is  young  enough  not 
to  mind  wearing  her  hair  short  for  a  few  months  had 
much  better  have  it  cut  as  short  as  possible,  and  then 
every  morning,  when  she  takes  her  bath,  she  can  wash 
her  head  and  rub  it  briskly  just  as  a  man  does.  If 
she  wants  to  apply  a  hair  tonic,  she  can  do  so  much 
more  readily  and  effectively  when  the  hair  is  short. 
An  older  girl,  who  objects  to  wearing  her  hair  short, 
can  let  the  old  hair  remain  while  the  new  crop  is 
growing  up  without  any  danger  of  checking  the  new 
growth.  There  will  usually  be  enough  left  to  make  a 
presentable  appearance  until  the  new  hair  is  grown 
out  and  can  take  its  place.  Shaving  the  head  is  al- 
ways a  mistake.  It  gives  trouble  and  inconvenience 
without  doing  any  good  to  the  new  hair. 

The  teeth  as  well  as  the  hair  are  a  modification  of 


216  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

the  epidermis.  The  care  of  them  is  of  great  im- 
portance to  health,  as  well  as  to  personal  appearance, 
and  girlhood  is  the  time  when  such  care  is  particu- 
larly needed.  Defective  teeth  cause  a  great  deal  of 
pain,  interfering  with  sleep  and  work.  They  also 
limit  the  capacity  to  masticate  food  which  leads  to  in- 
digestion and  deficient  nutrition  with  consequent  im- 
pairment of  the  general  health.  An  examination  of 
the  teeth  of  the  children  in  the  public  schools  at 
Andover,  Mass.,  showed  that,  taking  weight  as  a 
standard  of  health,  the  children  with  good  teeth  sur- 
passed the  children  with  bad  teeth  in  weight  by  an 
average  of  two  and  seven-tenths  pounds. 

The  great  cause  of  decay  in  teeth  is  the  accumula- 
tion of  tiny  fragments  of  food,  especially  of  meat,  be- 
tween the  teeth  and  in  the  irregularities  of  their  sur- 
faces, and  the  process  of  decay  occurs  more  frequently 
and  proceeds  more  rapidly  in  girlhood  than  in  late 
life,  so  that  the  care  of  the  teeth  at  this  time  of  life 
is  a  matter  of  special  importance. 

In  caring  for  the  teeth,  the  ideal  plan,  of  course, 
is  to  brush  them  after  each  meal,  but  this  method  re- 
quires an  amount  of  time,  attention  and  opportunity 
which  not  many  girls  can  give.  They  can  be  kept 
in  excellent  condition  by  caring  for  them  twice  a  day. 

Brushing  the  teeth  with  a  moderately  stiff  brush  is 
one  part  of  the  care  to  be  given  them.  Some  kind 
of  wash  or  powder  should  be  used  in  brushing,  and 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  217 

powders  are  to  be  preferred  of  the  two,  on  account 
of  their  polishing  effect.  There  are  various  prepara- 
tions sold  by  druggists,  any  one  of  which  will  answer 
the  purpose,  but  the  ordinary  prepared  or  precipitated 
chalk  is  as  good  or  better  than  anything  else,  beside 
being  less  expensive.  Some  antiseptic  solution,  such 
as  listerine,  for  a  mouth-wash,  is  desirable. 

But  a  toothbrush,  no  matter  how  carefully  and  thor- 
oughly it  is  used,  cannot  get  between  the  teeth,  nor  into 
all  their  irregularities,  and  these  places  are  exactly 
where  attention  is  most  needed.  Decay  of  the  teeth  is 
caused  by  the  action  of  bacteria,  and  these  find  a 
fertile  soil  for  their  growth  in  the  fragments  of  food 
that  collect  between  the  teeth  or  in  their  irregularities. 
The  only  way  to  remove  these  fragments  and  keep 
the  interstices  clean  is  to  pass  something  between 
each  two  teeth  at  least  once  in  every  twenty-four 
hours,  preferably  at  night,  because  there  will  then  be 
a  long  interval  before  food  is  again  taken.  A  certain 
kind  of  thread,  especially  prepared  for  the  purpose, 
called  "  dental  floss,"  is  sold  by  druggists,  but  in  the 
long  run  it  is  rather  expensive.  A  good  substitute 
for  it  can  be  made  by  buying  some  skeins  of  linen 
thread,  cutting  them  into  suitable  lengths  and  waxing 
these  with  a  piece  of  beeswax.  The  thread  and  the 
beeswax  must  both  be  perfectly  new  and  clean. 

In  addition  to  the  daily  care  of  the  teeth  they  ought 
to  be  inspected  at  intervals  by  a  dentist  and  any  de- 


218  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

cayed  teeth  should  be  filled  or  extracted.  It  is  most 
important  that  the  teeth  should  receive  proper  care 
in  this  respect  during  girlhood.  Not  only  is  the 
process  of  decay  more  frequent  and  more  rapid  in 
early  life,  but  the  second  teeth,  which  are  then  just 
come  or  coming,  often  require  mechanical  aid  to  make 
them  straight  and  even.  The  size  of  the  jaw  is  smal- 
ler in  these  days  than  it  used  to  be  many  generations 
ago  when  mankind  ate  coarse  food  and  needed  more 
strength  in  the  teeth  and  the  jawbone.  The  number 
of  teeth,  however,  remains  the  same,  so  that  it  begins 
to  be  something  of  a  difficulty  to  find  room  for  them 
all  in  the  modern  jaw.  This  difficulty  reaches  its 
height  at  about  fourteen  or  fifteen,  when  the  four 
last  molars,  known  as  "  wisdom  teeth,"  begin  to  ap- 
pear. Sometimes  these  teeth  come  rapidly,  almost  all 
at  once,  in  other  cases  they  appear  one  by  one  and  so 
slowly  that  it  is  a  matter  of  five  or  six  years  before 
they  are  all  in  place.  But  whenever  they  come,  they 
are  apt  to  crowd  the  other  teeth,  and  it  becomes  a 
serious  question  whether  some  teeth  ought  not  to  be 
extracted  in  order  that  the  others  may  be  more  service- 
able and  more  regular  in  appearance.  No  one  but  a 
dentist  can  decide  upon  this  matter  and  it  is  most 
important  that  he  should  treat  the  teeth  while  the 
bones  of  the  jaw  are  still  young  enough  to  respond 
easily  to  whatever  measures  he  may  adopt.  Later  in 
life,  when  the  bones  are  completely  hardened,  nothing 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  219 

can  be  done,  for  if  teeth  are  then  drawn  the  others 
will  not  move  so  as  to  fill  up  the  space  and  make 
more  room. 

It  is  very  important  also  that  cavities  in  teeth 
should  be  filled  without  loss  of  time,  for  they  cause 
more  or  less  pain  and  interfere  with  a  girl's  work  as 
well  as  her  pleasure.  Moreover,  the  decay  proceeds 
so  rapidly  at  this  age  that  unless  it  is  promptly  arrested 
the  tooth  may  speedily  be  past  filling  and  there  is 
nothing  for  it  but  extraction.  A  tooth  too  much  de- 
cayed to  be  filled  must  be  extracted  at  once,  for  it 
affords  an  easy  entrance  to  disease,  beside  being  a 
great  source  of  suffering. 

The  expense  of  dentist's  work  is  sometimes  a  diffi- 
culty. But  the  care  of  the  teeth  ought  to  be  consid- 
ered in  the  light  of  a  duty,  not  a  luxury,  and  other 
demands  upon  the  purse,  not  absolutely  essential, 
should  be  sacrificed  to  it.  If  it  is  really  impossible 
to  meet  the  expense,  there  is  always  a  way  open,  at 
any  rate  to  those  in  large  cities,  which  ought  to  be 
employed  more  than  it  is.  The  free  dental  dispen- 
saries offer  attention  without  charge  or  with  only  a 
nominal  one,  and  the  work  there  is  reliable.  It  is 
true,  of  course,  that  it  is  done  by  young  dentists  or 
students  who  have  not  much  experience,  but  they  are 
under  careful  supervision  from  older  men,  and  there 
is  really  much  less  danger  of  neglect  or  failure  at  their 
hands  than  is  often  present  with  an  elderly  man  of 


020  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

large  experience  and  reputation  who  has  grown  care- 
less with  years  and  success. 

One  of  the  most  important  points  in  a  girl's  toilet, 
or  a  boy's  either,  is  the  care  of  the  hands  and  nails. 
Even  a  very  ordinary  hand  can  be  made  attractive  if 
it  is  well  cared  for  and  a  pretty  hand  loses  all  of  its 
beauty  if  it  is  not.  To  keep  the  hands  in  nice  order 
they  should  be  washed  every  night  on  going  to  bed 
with  warm  water  and  a  good  soap,  and  if  they  are 
inclined  to  be  rough  or  chapped,  a  little  glycerine  or 
glycerine  and  water  should  be  rubbed  into  them  while 
the  skin  is  still  moist  from  washing.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  apply  the  glycerine  after  every  washing  throughout 
the  day.  There  are  many  preparations  of  glycerine 
combined  with  the  fancy  waters  which  are  reliable  and 
agreeable.  Sometimes  the  skin  at  the  ends  of  the  fin- 
gers and  the  edges  of  the  nails  has  a  tendency  to  crack 
and  peel.  The  best  remedy  for  this  state  of  things  is 
to  apply  vaseline  to  the  broken  places  on  going  to  bed 
at  night  and  then  draw  on  a  glove  finger,  or,  if  neces- 
sary, the  whole  glove,  which  must  remain  in  place  over 
night.  The  most  obstinate  cases  can  be  relieved  in 
this  way  after  a  few  nights. 

The  most  important  point  in  the  care  of  the  hands, 
of  course,  is  the  nails.  These  require  to  be  brushed 
with  a  stiff  nail  brush  whenever  the  hands  are  washed, 
and  once  in  every  twenty-four  hours  they  should  re- 
ceive special  attention.  The  best  time  for  this  is  di- 


221 

rectly  after  the  hands  are  washed  at  night.  The  skin 
around  the  nail  must  be  pushed  back  by  the  tip  of  the 
finger  covered  with  a  soft  cloth.  This  is  better  than 
using  any  kind  of  sharp  instrument,  for  it  is  not  so 
likely  to  break  the  skin  and  cause  a  "  hang  nail."  The 
systematic  care  of  the  hands  will  almost  always  pre- 
vent hang-nails,  but  if  one  appears  it  ought  to  be 
cured  as  soon  as  possible,  because  they  afford  a  good 
opening  for  infection.  A  hang-nail  must  be  clipped 
as  close  to  the  finger  as  possible  and  some  sort  of  oint- 
ment applied,  after  which  a  glove  finger  or  a  cot 
should  be  worn  over  the  finger  for  a  day  or  two  until 
it  is  well. 

The  nails  should  be  cut  immediately  after  the  hands 
are  washed,  while  they  are  still  soft  and  pliable  and 
the  curve  of  the  nail  must  be  carefully  preserved  in 
cutting  them.  For  this  purpose  a  pair  of  curved  nail 
scissors  is  almost  a  necessity,  as  it  is  extremely  hard 
to  keep  the  curve  with  a  straight  pair,  even  if  they  are 
small.  The  length  of  the  nail  and  the  shape  of  the 
edge  are  matters  of  taste,  but  it  is  certainly  a  pity  that 
girls  who  have  to  put  their  hands  to  many  uses  should 
insist  on  having  their  nails  as  long  as  many  of  them  do. 

Nails  are  best  cleaned  with  a  little  piece  of  sharpened 
wood,  which  is  much  better  than  the  end  of  scissors 
or  a  penknife.  If  there  are  little  rough  places  on  the 
edge  of  the  nail  after  it  is  cut,  they  can  be  smoothed 
by  means  of  a  little  bit  of  sandpaper  or  fine  pumice 

16 


222  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

stone.  Finally,  the  nails  are  polished.  It  takes  some 
little  time  to  put  a  polish  on  nails  which  have  never 
been  polished  before,  but  when  the  polish  is  once 
acquired  it  does  not  require  much  time  or  effort  to 
keep  it  up.  A  little  nail  powder  is  of  assistance  in 
getting  a  polish,  but  it  is  not  essential ;  a  perfectly  sat- 
isfactory polish  can  be  obtained  with  nothing  but  the 
polisher  and  pains.  A  large  heavy  polisher  is  the 
best,  but  the  smaller  ones  answer  very  well.  Even  a 
scrap  of  chamois  leather  held  over  the  tip  of  the  finger 
will  accomplish  the  end  in  view. 

Particular  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  feet  when 
the  daily  bath  is  taken.  They  require  more  effort  in 
cleansing  than  any  other  part  of  the  body,  especially 
now  that  girls  wear  low  shoes,  which  allow  dust  and 
dirt  to  sift  through,  for  so  much  of  the  year.  Great 
care  must  be  taken  to  see  that  the  spaces  between  the 
toes  are  thoroughly  cleansed,  for  perspiration  is  pe- 
culiarly apt  to  collect  there.  These  spaces  must  also 
be  perfectly  dry,  for  moisture  in  that  situation  is  a 
fruitful  source  of  soft  corns. 

The  toe-nails,  like  the  finger-nails,  should  always  be 
cut  after  a  warm  bath,  while  they  are  soft  and  easy 
to  cut.  There  is  a  marked  difference,  however,  in  the 
cutting  of  the  nails  of  the  toes  and  the  fingers.  So 
far  from  cutting  toe-nails  with  regard  to  the  curve, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  finger-nail,  toe-nails  ought  to  be 
cut  nearly  in  a  straight  line,  as  a  precaution  against 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  223 

the  condition  known  as  "  ingrowing  nail,"  when  the 
nail,  usually  that  of  the  great  toe,  grows  deeply  into 
the  flesh  on  one  side.  It  is  a  most  painful  affection, 
and  if  not  relieved  at  once,  the  area  around  the  nail 
may  become  inflamed  and  even  suppurate,  causing  a 
terribly  sore  foot.  If  the  nail  shows  any  indications 
of  growing  too  deep  on  one  side,  a  triangular  piece 
should  be  cut  out  of  the  middle  of  the  edge,  the  apex 
of  the  triangle  being  towards  the  root  of  the  nail. 
The  two  edges  of  the  opening  thus  made  instinctively 
incline  towards  each  other,  as  the  nail  grows  outward, 
and  in  their  approach  the  side  cutting  into  the  flesh 
is  drawn  out. 

The  present  fashion  of  wearing  large  and  easy 
shoes  has  done  much  to  overcome  the  old-fashioned 
torment  of  corns,  which  was  particularly  common 
among  young  girls  because  the  vanity  natural  to  youth 
led  them  to  wear  tight  shoes  when  tight  shoes  were 
the  fashion.  Formerly,  too,  a  really  well-fitting  shoe 
could  only  be  obtained  by  having  it  made  to  order  at 
considerable  expense.  Now  it  is  possible  to  get  fac- 
tory-made shoes  which  are  well-shaped  and  neatly 
finished.  Still,  corns  are  not  altogether  things  of  the 
past. 

A  corn  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  hardening  of 
the  epidermis  due  to  pressure  of  the  shoe  on  one  par- 
ticular spot.  When  a  corn  is  discovered,  the  shoe 
must  be  changed,  no  matter  how  inconvenient  it  may 


224  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

be  to  do  so.  It  is  foolish  to  consider  expense,  for  the 
loss  of  a  pair  of  shoes  is  a  small  matter  compared  to 
the  torture  of  the  corn,  beside  which,  if  the  source 
of  irritation  is  permanently  relieved,  the  corn  can 
probably  be  permanently  cured,  whereas  if  the  foot  is 
obliged  to  go  on  enduring  the  pressure  the  corn  be- 
comes more  and  more  difficult  to  get  rid  of.  The 
best  way  to  treat  a  corn  is  to  soak  the  foot  in  warm 
water  for  a  considerable  time,  say  half  an  hour,  and 
then  peel  off  as  much  of  the  corn  as  possible.  If  the 
foot  has  been  well  soaked,  a  considerable  amount  can 
be  removed  in  this  way.  After  all  that  is  possible  has 
been  done  by  peeling,  the  hard  central  portion  must 
be  cut  out  with  a  sharp  knife,  and,  finally,  a  corn 
plaster  is  put  around  the  cavity  from  which  the  corn 
has  been  cut,  and  worn  until  the  tender  spot  has  be- 
come normal. 

Soft  corns,  which  form  always  between  the  toes,  can 
generally  be  cured  by  keeping  the  place  around  them 
absolutely  dry.  The  best  thing  for  this  purpose  is 
chalk,  either  the  prepared  chalk  used  for  a  tooth- 
powder,  or  a  piece  of  ordinary  blackboard  chalk, 
ground  fine.  If  the  space  between  the  corn  and  the 
next  toe  is  kept  faithfully  dusted  with  the  chalk,  the 
corn  will  gradually  dry  up  and  rub  off. 

If  the  foot  is  irritated  by  the  shoe  or  the  stocking 
the  cause  of  irritation  must  be  removed  at  once.  When 
this  is  done  immediately,  before  the  skin  is  broken,  the 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  225 

place  will  get  well  without  difficulty,  but  if  the  irrita- 
tion is  allowed  to  go  on  until  a  blister  has  formed 
(which  happens  in  an  incredibly  short  time)  it  may  be 
weeks  before  the  foot  is  really  well  again,  for  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  keep  the  blister  from  breaking 
with  the  formation  of  a  raw  surface.  If  such  a  raw 
surface  does  form,  the  best  thing  for  it  is  to  keep  it 
dusted  with  a  powder  of  the  subnitrate  of  bismuth,  a 
few  ounces  of  which  can  be  obtained  from  any  drug- 
gist. A  piece  of  soft  old  linen  or  cambric  must  be 
kept  over  the  powder. 

The  care  of  the  eyes  is  a  matter  of  really  vital  im- 
portance. No  girl,  no  matter  how  strong  her  eyes  are 
or  appear  to  be,  can  afford  to  neglect  the  care  of  them. 
Unfortunately,  the  effects  of  want  of  care  do  not 
always  become  immediately  apparent,  and  it  is  hard 
to  induce  girls  to  take  proper  precautions  when  they 
feel  no  present  inconvenience  or  discomfort. 

The  bad  effects  of  eyestrain  at  school  and  the  vari- 
ous ways  in  which  the  eye  can  deviate  from  normal 
are  more  suitably  considered  in  connection  with  the 
question  of  the  school  work  from  which  much  of  the 
eyestrain  originates.  But  this  is  a  good  place  to  say 
a  word  in  regard  to  the  care  which  a  girl  herself  can 
take  of  her  eyes  in  daily  life. 

The  symptoms  of  eyestrain  may  be  either  direct  or 
reflex.  The  direct  symptoms  vary  from  a  mere  sen- 
sation of  fatigue  and  effort,  after  using  the  eyes 


226  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

steadily  for  some  time,  to  actual  pain  with  burning, 
itching,  and  watering.  Sometimes  the  eyes  look  red 
and  irritated,  sometimes  they  have  a  strained  faraway 
look.  It  may  be  that  in  reading  the  type  will  run  to- 
gether, or  certain  letters  which  resemble  each  other, 
like  c  and  o,  cannot  always  be  distinguished.  One  of 
the  earliest  signs  of  eyestrain  is  a  feeling  of  irritation 
on  rising  in  the  morning  when  the  eyes  have  been 
worked  at  night  for  too  long  a  time  or  by  an  im- 
perfect light.  The  sensation  of  little  grains  of  some 
fine  substance  under  the  lids  is  another  sign  of  strain. 

Of  the  reflex  or  indirect  symptoms,  headache  is  by 
far  the  most  common.  The  headache  may  be  a  dull 
pain  over  the  eyes  or  on  the  top  of  the  head,  or  it  may 
take  the  form  of  prostrating  attacks  of  sick  headache. 
In  any  case  of  constantly  recurring  headache  in  young 
girls  not  attended  by  failure  of  the  general  health  an 
oculist  ought  to  be  consulted.  The  reflex  symptoms 
of  eyestrain  are  sometimes  quite  remote  from  the  eyes. 
Indigestion  is  not  uncommon,  and  nervous  symptoms 
of  various  kinds  are  associated  with  it.  Sometimes 
eyestrain  is  responsible  for  the  most  profound  depres- 
sion which  cannot  be  accounted  for.  Cases  of  melan- 
cholia have  been  known  in  young  girls  which  disap- 
peared when  the  eyes  were  relieved  by  proper  glasses. 

Whenever  there  is  any  reason  to  think  the  eyes  are 
strained,  and  whenever  there  are  symptoms,  in  a  girl 
constantly  using  her  eyes,  that  cannot  be  accounted 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  227 

for,  an  oculist  should  be  consulted.  I  say  emphatical- 
ly an  oculist,  not  an  optician,  because  one  of  the  most 
fruitful  sources  of  eye  trouble  is  the  consultation  of 
opticians  instead  of  persons  especially  trained  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  eye.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  think 
that  because  a  man  is  capable  of  preparing  glasses 
from  an  oculist's  prescription,  he  is  competent  to  pro- 
nounce upon  the  condition  of  the  eye  itself.  A  real 
understanding  of  the  eye  in  health  and  disease  re- 
quires all  the  resources  of  a  general  medical  education, 
as  well  as  a  special  training  in  the  anatomy,  physiology, 
and  diseases  of  the  eye  itself,  and  no  one  who  does 
not  possess  this  can  possibly  be  fit  to  undertake  eye 
practice. 

In  the  ordinary  daily  care  of  the  eyes  which  rests 
in  the  hands  of  their  possessor,  the  first  thing  to  be 
remembered  is  not  to  let  water  touch  the  eyeball  in 
bathing  the  eyes  and  not  to  keep  the  eyes  open  under 
water.  Some  people  are  in  the  habit  of  boasting  that 
when  they  wash  their  faces  in  a  basin  of  water  they 
keep  their  eyes  open,  and  nothing  worse  for  the  eyes 
could  possibly  be  imagined. 

A  sufficiency  of  light,  properly  adjusted,  is  necessary 
to  the  preservation  of  eyesight.  The  direction  of  the 
light  ought  always  to  be  from  behind  over  the  left 
shoulder.  If  it  comes  over  the  right  shoulder  the 
right  hand  casts  a  shadow  that  comes  between  the 
light  and  the  work,  and  if  it  is  from  directly  behind, 


228  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

the  person,  to  use  the  common  phrase,  is  "  in  their 
own  light."  Light  coming  from  directly  in  front  is 
worst  of  all,  because  it  dazzles  the  vision. 

The  same  rules  apply  to  artificial  light,  but  other 
points  must  also  be  considered  in  its  arrangement. 
An  ordinary  gas-burner,  whether  it  is  in  a  chan- 
delier or  a  side-fixture,  is  always  unsuited  for  reading 
or  writing,  because  it  flickers  incessantly,  and  the  first 
consideration  in  artificial  light  is  that  it  should  be 
steady.  For  near  work  at  night  there  should  be  some 
kind  of  shaded  droplight,  such  as  the  argand  burner, 
with  the  rays  falling  directly  upon  the  work.  One  of 
the  best  possible  lights  for  night  work  is  the  old- 
fashioned  student  lamp  used  with  kerosene  oil.  It 
has  one  great  advantage  over  more  modern  appliances, 
in  that  it  can  be  used  anywhere  irrespective  of  the  in- 
troduction of  gas  or  electric  light.  Of  course,  some 
of  the  new  conveniences,  such  as  the  electric  bulbs, 
shaded  and  arranged  to  throw  the  light  over  the  work, 
give  as  good  a  light  as  the  student  lamp  and  are  free 
from  its  disadvantages,  but  there  are  hosts  of  places 
where  the  newest  appliances  are  out  of  the  question 
and  yet  night  work  has  to  be  carried  on  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  year.  In  all  cases  of  this  kind  nothing 
does  as  well  as  the  student  lamp.  The  great  objection 
to  it  is  that  if  it  is  not  attended  to  with  the  utmost 
care  it  has  a  disagreeable  odor  and  sometimes  drips 
oil  unexpectedly.  But  this  inconvenience  can  always 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  229 

be  prevented  by  care,  and  the  benefit  to  eyesight  makes 
it  worth  while  to  ensure  this  care  by  taking  the  lamp 
under  one's  own  supervision. 

Finally,  there  is  one  point  in  the  care  of  the  eyes 
in  which  girls  are  peculiarly  apt  to  offend,  and  that  is 
reading  through  a  spotted  net  veil.  The  fine  lines  in 
the  mesh  of  the  net  are  bad  enough,  but  when  to  these 
are  added  a  number  of  round  spots,  the  tantalizing  ef- 
fect is  one  of  the  most  harmful  things  in  the  world. 
Chiffon  veils  are  also  objectionable,  because  they  are 
woven  with  sufficient  closeness  to  make  it  a  continual 
effort  to  see  through  them  for  anything  as  close  as 
reading. 

Sometimes  a  foreign  body  gets  into  the  eye.  Such 
bodies  are  of  two  kinds:  penetrating  and  non-pene- 
trating. A  penetrating  foreign  body  is  one  which 
has  actually  penetrated  the  substance  of  the  eyeball. 
It  is  always  a  serious  thing  and  must  be  brought  to 
an  oculist  without  loss  of  time,  since  it  cannot  be 
removed  by  an  unskilled  hand.  The  ordinary  non- 
penetrating  body,  such  as  a  cinder,  is  easily  removed 
and  everyone  ought  to  know  how  to  do  it  for  another 
person.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  do  it  for  oneself. 

The  lower  lid  is  drawn  down  by  one  finger  and  the 
foreign  substance  may  then  become  visible  at  once. 
If  it  does  not,  the  upper  lid  must  be  turned  back.  To 
do  this  the  patient  is  told  to  look  downward  and  the 
edge  of  the  upper  lid  is  taken  hold  of  by  the  thumb 


'230  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

and  forefinger  of  the  right  hand,  after  which  it  is 
drawn  forward  and  downward,  away  from  the 
eyeball,  and  then  upward,  turning  it  back  over  the 
thumb  and  forefinger  of  the  left  hand,  which  are  held 
stationary  upon  the  lid.  The  foreign  body  can  then 
be  seen,  if  it  is  there,  and  removed  by  a  delicate  touch 
with  the  tip  of  a  handkerchief  corner  or  a  wisp  of 
absorbent  cotton.  It  must  always  be  remembered  that 
the  irritation  set  up  by  the  foreign  body  will  not  dis- 
appear for  a  little  while  after  its  removal,  and  some- 
times the  sufferer  will  insist  that  she  knows  the  irri- 
tating substance  is  still  there,  because  she  continues  to 
feel  such  discomfort.  The  only  thing  to  be  done 
under  these  circumstances  is  to  wait  quietly  until  the 
irritation  set  up  by  the  intruder  has  disappeared.  A 
cold  compress  over  the  eye  will  sometimes  relieve  the 
suffering  and  help  to  make  the  irritation  subside. 

The  ear  consists  of  three  divisions,  namely,  the  ex- 
ternal, the  middle,  and  the  internal  ear  or  labyrinth, 
The  external  ear,  which  is  the  part  outside  of  the  head 
and  the  passage  leading  from  it,  is  the  only  part 
within  our  reach  and  therefore  the  only  part  for 
which  we  can  directly  care.  But  the  healthy  condition 
of  the  middle  and  internal  ear  depends  largely  upon 
the  care  bestowed  upon  the  outer  part. 

In  washing  the  outer  ear,  great  care  must  be  taken 
not  to  introduce  hard  objects  of  any  kind  into  the 
external  opening.  The  tip  of  the  finger  covered  by 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  231 

a  soft  cloth,  or  one  of  the  little  sponges  mounted  on 
the  end  of  a  stick,  which  are  sold  by  druggists  for 
the  purpose,  are  all  that  should  ever  be  used  for 
cleansing  purposes.  Cleanliness  of  the  external  ear 
can  be  perfectly  maintained  by  either  of  these  meas- 
ures, and  the  deeper  portions  can  take  care  of  them- 
selves. Clumsy  and  over-zealous  efforts  at  cleanli- 
ness are  sometimes  the  cause  of  ear-trouble  for  which 
no  explanation  can  be  found. 

In  the  passage  leading  from  the  outer  portion  of 
the  ear  are  glands  that  secrete  a  thin  yellow  fluid  which 
thickens  into  paste  and  accumulates  upon  the  skin  lin- 
ing the  outer  ear.  The  uppermost  cells  of  the  epider- 
mis covering  the  outer  ear  are  constantly  being  shed, 
as  they  are  in  all  other  parts  of  the  body,  and  are 
finally  cast  off  at  the  exterior  with  the  wax  adhering 
to  them,  their  movement  outward  being  assisted  by 
the  little  stiff  hairs  on  the  inside  of  the  external  ear 
and  also  by  the  movements  of  the  jaw.  A  healthy 
ear  ought  not  to  secrete  more  wax  than  is  needed  to 
keep  the  cast-off  cells  together  and  if  it  is  secreted  in 
larger  quantities  than  this  the  ear  is  not  perfectly 
healthy.  An  aurist,  or  at  all  events,  a  physician  ought 
to  be  consulted  for  this  condition,  if  it  is  persistent. 
It  will  probably  be  necessary  to  syringe  the  ear  and 
this  should  never  be  done  by  an  unskilled  hand.  If 
it  is  impossible  for  the  patient  to  come  to  the  doctor  as 
often  as  is  necessary  for  this  purpose,  he  should  teach 


'232  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

some  members  of  her  family  how  to  use  the  syringe. 
Under  no  circumstances  should  drops  be  put  into  the 
ear  with  the  intention  of  softening  the  wax  and  as- 
sisting in  its  removal.  It  only  makes  the  wax  swell 
up  and  increases  the  difficulty.  The  little  sharp  in- 
struments known  as  ear  scoops,  which  are  sold  for  the 
purpose  of  extracting  hardened  wax,  must  never  be 
used.  A  really  serious  injury  to  the  middle  ear  may 
be  done  by  them.  Occasionally  it  happens  that  a 
living  insect  finds  its  way  into  the  ear  and  causes 
intense  pain  by  its  movements.  A  few  drops  of  sweet 
oil  or  chloroform  poured  into  the  ear  will  kill  the 
insect  and  stop  the  pain,  after  which  it  can  be  syringed 
out  at  leisure. 

Sometimes  water  enters  the  ear  while  bathing  and 
causes  a  great  deal  of  discomfort.  It  can  be  easily 
disposed  of  by  the  following  method.  Take  firm  hold 
of  the  upper  part  of  the  external  ear  with  the  finger 
and  thumb  of  the  hand  on  the  affected  side,  then  in- 
cline the  head  well  over  towards  that  side  and  stamp 
the  corresponding  foot  violently.  After  one  or  two 
efforts  the  water  will  trickle  out  at  the  external  open- 
ings. 

Earache  is  a  common  ailment  but  it  may  be  a  most 
serious  one.  Relief  from  the  pain  can  usually  be 
obtained  by  means  of  heat,  applied  by  a  hot  water  bag 
or  by  pouring  water  as  hot  as  can  be  borne  into  the 
ear  and  letting  it  run  out  again.  The  old-fashioned 


PERSONAL  HYGIENE  233 

Southern  custom  of  applying  a  hot  sweet  potato  or 
yam  was  based  on  a  sound  scientific  principle.  Ear- 
ache must  never  be  neglected,  and  if  it  is  not  perma- 
nently relieved  in  a  short  time  an  aurist  should  be 
consulted. 

A  discharge  from  the  external  ear  is  another  thing 
which  must  receive  prompt  attention.  It  may  be  quite 
harmless,  and  it  often  is  so,  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  may  be  the  outward  and  visible  sign  of  some  inflam- 
mation which,  if  neglected,  will  result  in  permanent 
deafness.  A  great  many  cases  of  deafness  might  have 
been  prevented,  if  the  discharge  that  preceded  them 
had  received  prompt  attention,  especially  after  scarlet- 
fever,  which  is  a  disease  when  the  ears  are  often  af- 
fected. If  a  discharge  appears  in  the  course  of  an 
acute  disease  a  specialist  ought  to  be  called  in  at  once. 
It  is  most  unwise  to  think  that  the  discharge  is  but  a 
symptom  that  will  disappear  as  the  disease  subsides. 
It  will  very  likely  disappear,  but  by  the  time  it  does  so 
irreparable  mischief  may  have  been  done  that  remains 
behind  it. 


CHAPTER  IX 

DAILY   LIFE   DURING   SCHOOL   DAYS 

Influence  of  home  on  health  of  schoolgirl  —  Influence  of 
school  on  health  —  Social  life  of  schoolgirl  —  Amuse- 
ments—  Relations  with  other  sex  —  Reading. 

THE  daily  life  of  a  girl  between  twelve  and  eighteen 
contains  most  of  the  claims  and  interests  belonging 
to  other  stages  of  existence,  in  forms  adapted  to  her 
age  and  intelligence,  but  there  is  one  respect,  and  that 
a  very  important  one,  in  which  this  period  differs  from 
any  other,  namely,  the  prominence  in  it  of  formal  edu- 
cation. Fully  two-thirds  of  a  girl's  waking  hours 
during  these  years  are  passed  in  the  school  room,  her 
home  life,  as  well  as  her  outside  interests  and  pleas- 
ures, being  subordinated  to  the  claims  of  her  educa- 
tion. There  can  be  no  doubt  that  when  the  psycholo- 
gists and  others  interested  in  the  study  of  girlhood 
have  collected  sufficient  data  on  the  subject  of  educa- 
tion to  justify  definite  conclusions,  we  shall  see  ma- 
terial changes  in  the  school  curriculum  for  girls 
adapted  to  their  mental  peculiarities  at  this  period  of 
their  life,  but  we  are  not  yet  in  a  position  to  discuss 
the  probable  nature  of  these  changes.  Our  knowledge 

234 


SCHOOL  DAYS  235 

of  the  physical  side  of  girlhood  has  advanced  suffi- 
ciently, however,  to  throw  considerable  light  on  the 
relation  between  health  and  education  and  the  question 
of  preserving  a  girl's  health  during  her  school  life  is 
one  that  we  are  better  fitted  to  discuss  than  we  were 
before  the  present  interest  in  adolescence. 

The  responsibility  for  keeping  a  girl  in  good  phys- 
ical condition  during  her  school  life  rests  with  both 
the  home  and  the  school,  but  the  home  is  undoubtedly 
the  more  directly  answerable  of  the  two,  for  the  great 
essentials  of  food  and  sleep  are  under  its  control.  To 
say  that  a  schoolgirl  cannot  keep  up  with  her  studies 
without  a  plentiful  supply  of  nourishing  food  would 
seem  a  mere  platitude,  were  it  not  that,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  not  a  few  girls  suffer  for  want  of  it,  not  be- 
cause they  do  not  have  enough  to  eat,  but  because 
they  do  not  eat  what  is  provided  for  them.  Recent 
investigations  into  the  public  schools  in  some  of  our 
large  cities  have  shown  that  many  children  are  habitu- 
ally under-fed,  because  their  parents  are  too  poor  to 
feed  them  properly,  but  this  class  of  cases  does  not 
concern  us  here,  since  in  families  where  circumstances 
are  so  poor  as  this  the  girls  are  obliged  to  leave 
school  and  go  to  work  by  the  time  they  are  twelve 
years  old.  But,  strange  to  say,  this  difficulty  is  one 
that  exists  with  girls  whose  parents  are  well-to-do,  or 
even  wealthy.  It  is  a  problem  that  confronts  the  pri- 
vate, as  well  as  the  public  schools,  and  some  of  the 


236  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

most  earnest  remonstrances  in  regard  to  it  are  pre- 
ferred by  teachers  in  private  schools  where  the  pupils 
come  from  wealthy  and  luxurious  homes. 

No  doubt  one  of  the  factors  in  the  underfeeding  of 
schoolgirls  is  the  deficiency  of  appetite  and  fancy  for 
unwholesome  articles  of  food  which  are  among  the 
characteristic  physical  disturbances  of  girlhood;  diffi- 
culty in  adjusting  the  schoolgirl's  midday  meal  to  the 
hours  obligatory  on  the  rest  of  the  family  is  another 
factor;  while  a  third  is  the  haste  and  scramble  to  get 
off  in  the  morning,  which  interfere  with  a  comfortable 
breakfast.  These  may  seem  trifling  things,  neverthe- 
less, their  presence  day  after  day  for  a  period  of 
years,  at  a  time  when  growth  is  most  rapid  and  the 
nervous  system  is  undergoing  the  strain  that  accom- 
panies the  establishment  of  the  reproductive  function 
is  quite  enough  to  account  for  a  great  deal  of  defec- 
tive nutrition. 

Difficulty  in  arrangement  of  the  midday  meal  is 
probably  the  greatest  of  the  three.  In  the  family  of 
a  working  man  dinner  is  over  before  the  High  School 
girl  gets  home,  and  the  dinner  put  away  on  a  plate  and 
saved  for  her  is  so  dried  up  and  unappetizing,  that, 
unless  she  is  to  imitate  the  man  in  Mr.  Howell's  novel, 
who  took  his  food  in  an  impersonal  manner  as  if  he 
were  feeding  an  engine,  she  will  probably  leave  most 
of  it  untouched.  Eating  by  herself,  too,  is  not  only 
bad  for  her  digestion,  but  most  discouraging  to  her 


SCHOOL  DAYS  237 

appetite.  But  the  girl  in  wealthy  families  often  fares 
no  better.  Her  family  probably  dine  late  and  lunch 
between  one  and  two.  When  the  schoolgirl  gets  home 
everyone  has  finished  luncheon,  and  as  it  is  more  or 
less  a  movable  feast,  it  is  not  considered  of  enough  im- 
portance to  make  any  special  effort  about  it  for  a 
schoolgirl,  so  she  picks  up  what  she  can,  and  in  the 
absence  of  any  supervision,  eats  only  what  she  fan- 
cies. 

It  is  from  deficiency  of  breakfast,  however,  that 
the  girl  in  wealthier  homes  probably  suffers  most. 
The  social  side  of  such  a  girl's  life  is  apt  to  make 
demands  that  keep  her  up  later  than  she  ought  to  be, 
so  that  she  oversleeps  herself  in  the  morning  and  has 
no  time  in  which  to  eat  her  breakfast.  Moreover, 
such  a  girl's  mother,  whose  time  is  often  much  oc- 
cupied in  social  duties,  is  frequently  late  in  rising,  and 
there  is  no  one  to  see  that  the  child  has  her  breakfast 
in  an  orderly  manner.  Not  a  few  teachers  in  private 
schools  testify  that  it  is  a  common  thing  for  a  girl 
to  come  to  school  without  any  breakfast  except  a  cup 
of  coffee  hastily  swallowed  and  a  roll  or  scrap  of 
toast,  eaten  with  the  haste  of  a  Passover  Supper.  By 
the  middle  of  the  morning,  of  course,  she  has  become 
so  tired  and  languid  that  her  mind  wanders,  and  when 
inquiries  are  made  as  to  the  cause  of  her  inattention 
the  facts  concerning  her  breakfast  are  elicited.  It  is 

no  wonder  that  as  time  goes  on  her  digestion  fails, 
17 


238  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

and  she  begins  to  have  headaches,  and  then  her  par- 
ents, without  inquiring  into  the  matter,  conclude  that 
she  is  overworked  at  school. 

All  girls  who  are  still  growing,  whether  they  make 
a  good  breakfast  or  not,  ought  to  have  a  light  luncheon 
during  the  midday  recess  at  school.  But,  unfortu- 
nately, when  the  selection  of  this  lunch  is  left  in  the 
girl's  hands,  it  is  apt  to  consist  of  pie,  doughnuts,  cake, 
candy,  and  especially  pickles,  for  which  she  has  the 
craving  characteristic  of  her  age.  Even  if  her  mother 
supervises  the  preparation  of  her  lunch  basket  and  she 
is  sent  off  provided  with  simple  and  nourishing  food, 
she  will  probably  exchange  half  of  it  for  objection- 
able dainties  in  another  girl's  lunch  basket,  or  even 
go  out  and  buy  them  at  some  neighboring  shop.  This 
difficulty  has  proved  such  a  real  and  substantial  one 
that  many  schools  now  provide  a  lunch  in  the  school 
building  where  the  girls  can  get  a  suitable  and  com- 
fortable meal  at  small  expense.  Whenever  this  plan 
has  been  adopted,  there  has  been  a  great  improvement 
in  the  health  of  the  pupils. 

The  final  responsibility  as  regards  a  schoolgirl's 
meals,  however,  must  rest  with  her  mother.  It  is  im- 
possible, of  course,  that  the  requirements  of  other 
members  of  the  family  shall  be  adjusted  to  the  neces- 
sities of  one,  or  even  of  several  schoolgirls,  and  it  may 
seem  a  great  deal  to  ask  of  a  mother  that  she  shall 
find  time  in  an  often  over-busy  life  to  give  personal 


SCHOOL  DAYS  239 

attention  to  the  meals  of  a  girl  of  fourteen  or  fif- 
teen, as  she  would  to  those  of  a  girl  of  four  or  five. 
But  if  she  will  make  it  her  business  to  see  that  her 
daughter  eats  a  comfortable  breakfast  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  is  provided  with  a  suitable  school  luncheon 
or  the  money  to  buy  one ;  if,  which  is  most  important 
of  all,  she  will  superintend  the  putting  aside  of  her 
midday  meal  and  then,  whenever  it  is  possible,  sit 
with  her  while  she  eats  it,  not  forcing  her  to  take  the 
food,  but  beguiling  the  time  so  that  she  disposes  of  it 
unconsciously  and  without  undue  haste,  she  will  do 
more  than  can  be  accomplished  in  any  other  way  to 
keep  her  daughter  in  good  health  while  she  is  at  school. 
Next  to  the  question  of  food,  sleep  is  the  most  im- 
portant factor  in  the  health  of  the  schoolgirl,  indeed 
it  is  hard  to  say  which  of  the  two  is  more  essential 
to  her  welfare.  Abundance  of  sleep  is  peculiarly  nec- 
essary in  girlhood,  especially  during  its  earliest  years, 
because  the  strain  upon  the  nervous  system  occasioned 
by  the  development  of  the  reproductive  function  and 
the  establishment  of  menstruation  demands  long  peri- 
ods of  repose  from  the  excitement  of  external  stimuli, 
while  the  rapidity  of  bodily  growth  requires  the  op- 
portunity of  building  up  tissue.  The  common  custom 
of  curtailing  the  night's  rest  just  as  the  girl  comes 
to  this  time  in  her  life  is  most  unfortunate.  Until 
the  period  of  puberty  is  over,  at  any  rate,  the  allow- 
ance of  sleep  ought  not  to  be  lessened.  Ten  hours  is 


240  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

considered  the  proper  amount  for  the  later  years  of 
childhood  and  ten  hours  it  ought  to  remain  up  to  fif- 
teen years  of  age  or  even  longer.  This  may  seem  a 
large  allowance,  but  it  is  no  more  than  is  necessary. 
We  are  apt  to  think  of  sleep  as  a  negative  state,  the 
uses  of  which  are  simply  to  afford  rest  from  the  exer- 
tions of  the  day,  so  that  we  do  not  sufficiently  appre- 
ciate that  the  loss  of  tissue  caused  by  the  day's  work 
and  emotions  is  made  up  in  sleep  and  that  this  process 
of  repair  is  a  positive  one,  urgently  needed  at  a  time 
when  mental  and  physical  growth  is  most  rapid  and 
the  nervous  system  is  undergoing  a  special  strain. 

The  important  point  in  a  girl's  sleep  is  not  the  hour 
when  she  goes  to  bed,  for  any  amount  of  time  may 
be  consumed  after  that,  but  the  hour  when  she  goes  to 
sleep.  Fortunately,  there  is  rarely  any 'difficulty  about 
her  sleeping  as  soon  as  she  gives  herself  up  to  sleep. 
If  a  girl  is  in  bed  and  asleep  by  half -past  nine  and 
gets  up  at  half -past  seven  she  has  had  the  necessary  ten 
hours  and  this  arrangement,  or  its  equivalent,  ought 
to  be  the  rule  of  life  for  the  schoolgirl,  except  on 
Fridays  and  Saturdays  when  she  has  no  school  work 
next  day.  No  girl  can  make  a  proper  toilet  in  less 
than  half  an  hour  and  many  girls  require  more,  break- 
fast takes,  or  ought  to  take,  another  half  hour,  and 
this  leaves  a  third,  which  is  not  more  than  enough  to 
collect  books,  put  on  outdoor  wraps,  and  get  to  school. 
There  are  many  girls,  of  course,  especially  in  the  pub- 


SCHOOL  DAYS  241 

lie  schools,  whose  families  breakfast  at  seven  or  even 
earlier,  and  who  must  get  up  correspondingly  soon; 
but  in  such  cases  bedtime  ought  to  be  proportionately 
early.  Unfortunately,  human  nature  at  this  time  of 
life  always  inclines  a  girl  to  believe  that  she  can 
dress  in  fifteen  minutes,  eat  her  breakfast  in  ten,  and 
still  get  to  school  in  time,  so  that  forty-five  minutes, 
in  her  opinion,  is  enough  for  everything;  but  to  her 
elders  it  is  plain  that  in  such  a  scheme  as  this  some- 
thing is  sacrificed.  Either  her  toilet  is  not  neatly 
made,  or  she  swallows  her  breakfast  whole,  or  she 
runs  all  the  way  to  school. 

So  far  then  the  home  may  be  held  responsible  for 
the  health  of  the  schoolgirl  —  it  now  remains  to  be 
seen  how  far  the  school  itself  is  accountable.  There 
is  a  great  deal  of  talk,  and  has  been  for  some  time, 
as  to  overwork  at  school  and  consequent  injury  to 
health,  but  if  we  look  at  the  matter  dispassionately,  I 
think  we  shall  see  that  failure  of  health  in  school- 
girls is  the  result  of  defects  in  their  home  life,  such 
as  we  have  just  discussed,  or  else  to  errors  in  school 
management  other  than  excess  of  school  work.  Good, 
hard,  intellectual  effort  cannot  in  itself  injure  the 
health.  On  the  contrary,  a  certain  amount  of  fatigue 
in  school  work  is  only  normal  and  right,  for  mental 
exertion  causing  mental  fatigue  is  just  as  good  for 
the  mind  as  bodily  exertion  leading  to  physical  fatigue 
is  good  for  the  body.  The  presence  of  normal 


242  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

in  school  work  is  a  reason  for  satisfaction  rather  than 
alarm ;  it  is  only  when  fatigue  exceeds  the  normal  lim- 
its that  our  anxiety  need  be  aroused. 

Over- fatigue  when  it  exists  may  be  recognized  by 
the  presence  of  certain  definite  signs.  A  lazy  or  un- 
conscientious  girl  may  feign  fatigue  in  order  to  escape 
work,  or  the  self -consciousness  that  is  so  marked  a 
feature  of  girlhood,  together  with  the  imaginative  ten- 
dency that  also  belongs  to  it,  may  lead  a  perfectly  hon- 
est, industrious  girl  to  think  herself  over-tired  and 
consequently  unwell  because  it  makes  her  an  object 
of  interest  and  sympathetic  attention.  Fortunately, 
the  presence  or  absence  of  the  signs  of  real  over-fa- 
tigue is  easily  determined.  A  faraway  dreamy  look 
in  the  eyes  with  a  tendency  to  fix  them  upon  vacancy, 
as  well  as  blue  lines  under  them,  and  twitching  of  the 
eyelids  or  of  the  facial  muscles  are  common  indica- 
tions. Others  are  a  drooping  of  the  corners  of  the 
mouth,  lack  of  coordination  of  movement,  a  dull,  tone- 
less voice,  and  failure  in  habitual  self-control.  One 
symptom  of  special  importance  is  the  continuance  of 
fatigue  into  the  next  day;  if  a  schoolgirl  gets  up  in 
the  morning  with  the  weariness  of  the  previous  day 
still  hanging  about  her,  accompanied,  perhaps,  by  a 
sense  of  dull  misery  for  which  she  can  give  no  reason, 
she  is  certainly  taxed  beyond  her  powers.  Not  that 
all  these  signs  are  present  in  any  cne  case,  as  a  rule, 
but  one  or  more  of  them  will  always  be  discernible  if 


SCHOOL  DAYS  243 

fatigue  is  really  excessive.  One  thing  that  should  al- 
ways be  borne  in  mind  in  keeping  a  watch  over  the 
strength  of  a  young  girl  is  that  she  herself  is  usually 
the  last  person  to  find  out  that  she  is  tired.  Not  only 
is  she  anxious  to  keep  up  her  place  in  school,  and 
unwilling  to  believe  it  is  an  effort,  but  the  more  tired 
she  is  the  less  is  she  likely  to  be  conscious  of  it,  for 
it  is  characteristic  of  extreme  fatigue,  especially  at  this 
age,  that  the  subject  of  it  does  not  realize  her  condition 
being,  so  to  speak,  anesthetized  by  her  own  exhaus- 
tion. 

Whatever  changes  in  the  school  curriculum  for  girls 
may  result  from  our  increasing  knowledge  of  the 
psychology  of  the  period,  one  thing  above  all  is  de- 
sirable, and  that  is  some  modification  of  the  existing 
high  pressure  and  nervous  tension.  When  we  con- 
sider the  unstable  condition  of  a  girl's  emotional 
nature  at  this  age,  it  is  plain  that  constantly  recurring 
examinations,  competition  for  class  standing,  and  ef- 
forts towards  distinction  in  the  shape  of  high  marks, 
prizes,  and  other  educational  badges  of  merit,  must  be 
an  incessant  strain  upon  her  both  in  mind  and  body. 
This  particular  element  in  the  present  system  of  educa- 
tion bears  more  severely  upon  a  girl  than  a  boy,  be- 
cause she  responds  more  rapidly  than  he  to  stimulation, 
whether  from  within  or  without,  and  also  because  she 
is  more  elated  by  success  and  more  depressed  by  fail- 
ure. Moreover,  a  girl's  conscience  is  usually  more 


244  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

sensitive  than  a  boy's,  in  fact  it  is  often  morbidly 
acute  and  will  goad  her  into  exertions  beyond  her 
strength,  when  a  boy  in  the  same  circumstances  pos- 
sesses a  certain  doggedness  of  resistance  that  makes 
him  stop  short  when  he  is  satisfied  he  has  done  all  that 
could  reasonably  be  expected  of  him.  Last,  but  not 
least,  a  girl  suffers  under  the  disadvantage  of  recurring 
periods  of  time  when  her  nervous  system  is  under  a 
special  tension. 

Another  point  upon  which  the  present  school  meth- 
ods are  dangerous  to  health  is  the  presence  of  too 
much  preparation  work  to  be  done  at  home,  though 
the  parents  are  answerable  on  this  particular  count  as 
well  as  the  school  authorities.  Two  hours  is  all  that 
ought  ever  to  be  spent  in  study  outside  of  school  hours 
as  a  regular  thing  though  another  hour  may  be  al- 
lowed occasionally  for  special  reasons,  or,  perhaps, 
in  the  final  year.  Some  people  may  consider  two 
hours  a  small  allowance,  but  if  they  will  take  the 
trouble  to  analyze  the  situation  they  will  find  it  is  all 
that  the  conditions  of  life  will  permit.  If  a  girl  gets 
out  of  school  at  two  o'clock,  it  will  be  nearly  or  quite 
three  before  she  gets  home  and  has  had  something  to 
eat.  It  will,  I  think,  be  generally  conceded  that  the 
next  three  hours  ought  to  be  passed  in  relaxation  and 
exercise,  and  as  much  as  possible  in  the  open  air.  If 
the  schoolgirl  comes  in  at  six  and  the  next  hour  is 
occupied  with  the  evening  meal  and  the  preparation 


SCHOOL  DAYS  245 

for  it,  she  will  have  just  two  hours  at  her  disposal 
for  study  before  she  goes  upstairs  at  nine,  as  she  must 
do  if  she  is  to  be  in  bed  and  asleep  in  half  an  hour. 
It  is  evident  that  any  more  time  spent  in  study  must 
be  at  the  expense  of  sleep,  of  recreation,  or  of  outdoor 
exercise.  If  a  girl  cannot  keep  up  with  her  work  on 
two  hours'  preparation,  there  is  something  wrong. 
The  work  itself  may  possibly  be  too  heavy,  but  more 
often  the  reason  will  be  found  in  defective  nutrition, 
want  of  sufficient  sleep,  or  to  a  lack  of  physical  or 
mental  capacity  in  the  girl  herself,  a  fact  which  parents 
are  naturally  slow  to  admit. 

Every  schoolgirl  needs  to  be  specially  guarded  from 
over  fatigue  during  the  year  of  puberty,  when  men- 
struation is  established.  One  of  the  greatest  defects 
in  the  present  school  system  is  the  absence  of  any 
definite  provision  for  this  most  important  point,  and 
it  is  to  be  hoped  that  among  the  improvements,  to 
which  we  look  forward  with  our  advancing  knowl- 
edge, may  be  radical  changes  along  this  particular  line. 
At  present  a  girl  can  only  be  protected  by  special  ad- 
justment of  the  conditions  in  her  individual  case.  In 
some  instances  it  is  well  to  take  a  girl  out  of  school 
altogether  for  a  few  months  or  even  a  year  just  at 
this  time,  so  that  each  period  may  be  more  carefully 
watched  than  is  possible  while  she  is  in  school,  but 
this  is  not  by  any  means  always  desirable.  When 
such  a  course  is  necessary,  a  girl's  lessons  ought  to  be 


246  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

carefully  kept  up  by  private  tuition  along  the  lines 
of  the  school,  so  that  she  may  be  able  to  go  on  with 
her  class  when  she  returns.  Nothing  can  be  worse 
for  her  than  idleness,  both  physically  and  mentally.  If 
she  remains  at  school,  she  ought  to  stay  at  home  for  the 
first  day  or  two  of  each  period,  or  perhaps  the  whole 
time,  until  the  function  is  fully  established  and  the 
periods  are  regular.  Parents  can  always  control  this 
matter  if  they  choose,  and  they  will  find  teachers 
ready  and  even  anxious  to  cooperate  with  them.  It 
is  a  point  indeed  when  cooperation  between  the  two 
is  of  great  value.  If  the  teacher  understands  the 
situation  she  can  do  a  great  deal  to  lighten  a  girl's 
work  and  protect  her  from  over-exertion  in  her  hours 
of  recreation,  but  it  is  only  through  the  mother  that 
she  can  learn  when  such  care  is  needed. 

Any  signs  of  failure  in  health  in  a  schoolgirl  ought 
to  receive  instant  attention ;  and  no  time  should  be  lost 
in  taking  measures  for  her  relief.  Whether  it  is  nec- 
essary to  stop  her  studies  altogether  or  only  to  reduce 
them,  is  a  question  to  be  determined  after  due  con- 
sideration in  each  individual  case;  but  one  thing  cer- 
tain in  all  cases,  is  that  something  definite  must  be 
done.  It  is  a  fatal  mistake  to  think  a  girl  can  be 
kept  up  to  her  work  by  tonics  and  encouragement,  so 
that  she  will  get  through  somehow.  I  do  not  speak 
lightly  of  interference  with  a  school  career  especially 
in  its  later  years.  It  is  extremely  hard  upon  a  girl's 


SCHOOL  DAYS  247 

ambitions  to  lose  her  standing,  and,  it  may  be,  have 
her  graduation  postponed,  and  it  is  not  true  to  say 
that  it  will  make  no  difference  to  her  in  going  on  fur- 
ther in  education,  or  self-support.  It  may  make  no 
difference  in  the  end,  but  it  does  at  the  moment,  and 
apart  from  the  annoyance  of  present  delay  there  may 
be  inconvenience  from  additional  expense  or  loss  of 
time  in  beginning  to  earn  money.  But  these  disad- 
vantages, real  as  they  are,  should  count  for  nothing 
in  comparison  with  health.  They  should  rather  be 
looked  upon  as  the  price 'to  be  paid  for  health,  which 
is  the  one  thing  needful.  Moreover,  the  danger  of 
injury  to  standing  in  school  is  often  much  exaggerated. 
A  few  months'  rest  will,  in  many  cases,  put  a  girl 
on  her  feet  and  she  will  find  herself  at  the  end  of 
the  year  just  where  she  expected  to  be,  for  she  will 
be  able  to  work  well  enough  after  her  rest  to  accom- 
plish all  she  had  planned,  whereas  if  she  struggled  on 
under  pressure  her  work  would  certainly  suffer  even 
if  she  did  not  break  down  and  have  to  abandon  it 
altogether.  Furthermore,  if  the  first  indications  of 
fatigue  and  failure  in  health  are  not  attended  to,  the 
condition  will  roll  up  like  a  snow-ball  and  may  over- 
whelm her  in  the  final  year,  just  when  the  goal  is  in 
sight. 

Before  leaving  the  subject  of  health  in  the  school- 
girl there  are  one  or  two  points  especially  associated 
with  the  physical  peculiarities  characteristic  of  that 


248  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

period  in  life  which  demand  a  word  of  notice.  The 
disturbances  accompanying  the  growth  of  bones  and 
muscles  during  the  early  years  of  girlhood  make  the 
question  of  posture  in  studying  one  of  great  impor- 
tance. This  fact  was  recognized  as  long  ago  as  the 
time  of  the  philosopher  Locke,  for  he  wrote  "  the 
Pupil  should  know  how  to  lay  the  Paper  and  place  the 
Arm  and  Body  to  it."  Lateral  curvature  of  the  spine 
is  especially  common  in  schoolgirls,  because  at  this 
time  of  life  when  the  vertebrae  are  still  largely  car- 
tilagenous  and  yield  easily  to  pressure  in  any  direction 
many  hours  each  day  are  spent  in  a  sitting  posture 
with  the  body  inclined  forward  and  slightly  to  one 
side  in  writing.  This  condition  of  things  is  peculiarly 
favorable  to  curvature,  especially  as  the  girl  is  growing 
so  fast  that  it  is  hard  for  her  to  hold  herself  erect 
and  she  slouches  from  fatigue.  To  counteract  this 
danger  she  should  not  only  be  kept  under  close  ob- 
servation, but  her  desk  must  be  carefully  adjusted  at 
the  beginning  of  the  year  and  tested  again  at  the  half 
year.  If,  in  spite  of  attention  to  these  details  a  girl's 
posture  in  sitting  or  standing  is  habitually  awkward, 
she  should  be  examined  by  a  physician  with  a  view  to 
ascertaining  whether  the  ungainliness  is  due  simply  to 
a  careless  carriage  or  to  a  beginning  curvature  of  the 
spine.  In  either  case  a  few  months  of  well-regulated 
gymnasium  exercises,  under  the  direction  of  a  physi- 
cian, will  probably  relieve  the  trouble. 


SCHOOL  DAYS  249 

Another  defect  against  which  precaution  is  especial- 
ly important  at  this  time  of  life  is  injury  to  eyesight. 
Inspection  of  the  eyes  of  school  children  in  different 
cities  in  this  country,  as  well  as  in  Great  Britain  and 
Europe,  has  shown  that  eye  troubles  of  all  kinds  in- 
crease noticeably  year  by  year  from  the  primary 
schools  onward,  until  by  the  time  the  High  School  is 
reached,  not  less  than  one-third  of  the  pupils  have 
defective  vision  of  one  kind  or  another. 

The  most  common  trouble  at  this  age  is  myopia  or 
nearsightedness.  In  this  condition  the  eyeball  is  too 
long  from  before  backward  and  the  rays  of  light, 
which  should  come  to  a  focus  directly  upon  the  retina, 
are  focussed  a  little  in  front  of  it.  Sometimes,  though 
not  often,  the  eye  is  myopic  at  birth,  because  the  eye- 
ball is  congenitally  misshapen,  but  in  the  majority  of 
cases  the  shape  is  injured  in  early  youth  from  over- 
much use  of  the  eyes.  It  is  a  well-known  physiolog- 
ical fact  that  when  a  part  of  the  body  is  in  active  use, 
the  blood  supply  to  it,  for  the  time  being,  is  increased, 
and  when  the  eyes  are  used  for  many  hours  of  the 
day  the  circulation  in  them  is  necessarily  filled  all  the 
time  to  its  fullest  capacity.  The  result  of  this  constant 
increase  of  the  blood  supply  to  the  eyes,  at  a  time  when 
the  tissues  are  still  young  and  undeveloped,  is  to  cause 
excessive  pressure  in  the  eyeball,  under  which  the  coats 
of  the  eye  gradually  give  way,  causing  a  permanent  al- 
teration in  the  shape  of  the  eyeball.  Great  watchful- 


250  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

ness  on  the  part  of  parents  and  teachers  is  necessary  to 
prevent  this  condition  of  things  and  the  moment  it  is 
suspected  the  amount  of  near  work  done  by  the  eyes 
should  be  lessened  and  the  proper  glasses  supplied. 

Myopia  is  by  far  the  most  common  trouble  with 
the  eyes  of  schoolgirls,  though  not  the  only  one.  The 
opposite  condition,  known  as  hyperopia,  in  which  the 
eyeball  is  too  short  from  before  backward  and  the 
rays  of  light  come  to  a  focus  behind  the  retina,  is  a 
condition  that  appears  almost  always  with  advancing 
years,  but  it  is  not  common  in  youth.  Astigmatism, 
however,  in  which  the  transparent  part  of  the  eye, 
known  as  the  cornea,  is  greater  in  one  meridian  than 
the  other,  is  of  very  frequent  occurrence.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  defects  in  the  eyeball  itself,  there  is  al- 
ways the  possibility  of  straining  one  of  the  six  tiny 
muscles  that  move  the  eye  in  the  socket,  or  of  injuring 
the  ciliary  muscle  in  the  interior  of  the  eye  by  which 
it  is  accommodated  to  near  vision,  and  with  all  these 
possibilities  in  existence,  it  is  plain  that  no  indications 
of  eye  strain,  no  matter  how  slight,  should  ever  be. 
overlooked. 

Overstrained  eyes  are  apt  to  have  a  dreamy  distant 
look,  and  very  often  there  is  twitching  of  the  eye- 
lids. In  some  cases  one  or  both  of  the  eyes  is 
slightly  crossed  when  the  girl  is  tired,  though  there 
may  be  no  signs  of  such  a  thing  at  other  times.  An- 
other sign  of  eye  strain  is  redness  of  the  eyelids  and 


SCHOOL  DAYS  251 

a  slight  discharge,  which  forms  a  yellowish  crust  along 
their  margins.  Sometimes  a  girl  is  observed  to  rub 
her  eyes  frequently,  and  when  questioned  she  will  ad- 
mit that  she  feels  as  if  there  were  fine  grains  of  sand 
underneath  the  eyelids.  But  not  infrequently  eye- 
strain  makes  itself  felt  by  symptoms  connected  with 
parts  of  the  body  having  no  connection  whatever  with' 
the  eyes,  and  whenever  a  schoolgirl  has  constantly  re- 
curring headaches,  indigestion,  or  some  other  dis- 
turbance of  the  general  health  for  which  no  explana- 
tion can  be  found,  it  is  wise  to  have  her  eyes  examined 
by  an  oculist.  In  a  good  many  cases  the  explanation 
of  her  symptoms  will  be  found  in  them. 

The  social  side  of  a  schoolgirl's  life  is  a  good  deal 
subordinated  to  the  claims  of  her  education,  but  it  is 
of  more  importance  than  it  is  usually  supposed  to  be, 
or  rather  to  put  it  more  accurately,  our  increasing  in- 
terest in  girlhood  makes  us  feel  all  phases  of  it  of  more 
significance  than  was  formerly  supposed.  It  is  too 
much  the  custom  to  leave  the  social  side  of  a  school- 
girl's life  to  chance  and  not  a  few  parents  who  are 
scrupulously  careful  in  everything  concerning  a  daugh- 
ter's education  leave  her  to  her  ownMevices  as  regards 
her  outside  interests.  But  the  mental  and  moral  pe- 
culiarities of  girlhood  at  this  age  show  themselves 
more  markedly  in  the  social  than  the  educational  life 
and  it  is  through  the  social  side  of  a  girl's  existence 
that  they  receive  their  most  important  training.  The 


252  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

self-consciousness  arising  from  the  first  realization  of 
her  ego,  the  desire  for  freedom  of  action,  and  the 
craving  for  new  experience  and  a  knowledge  of  life 
all  find  an  opportunity  for  manifestation  especially  in 
social  life  and  through  its  various  phases  they  re- 
ceive most  valuable  discipline  and  training. 

To  keep  the  balance  true,  so  that  a  girl  shall  re- 
ceive the  full  benefit  to  formation  of  character  from 
social  life  and  at  the  same  time  shall  not  suffer  from 
its  encroachment  upon  other  claims,  is  not  always 
easy.  If  she  is  allowed  too  much  gaiety  and  amuse- 
ment her  education  will  be  neglected,  while  on  the 
other  hand  if  her  natural  instinct  for  pleasure  is  un- 
duly repressed  she  will  become  rebellious  against  the 
authorities  who  she  feels  are  depriving  her  of  what 
her  youth  entitles  her  to  enjoy.  Again,  if  she  is  al- 
lowed to  choose  her  companions  without  any  super- 
vision or  restriction  she  will  almost  inevitably  make 
some  undesirable  acquaintance  and,  if,  on  the  contrary, 
her  associates  are  selected  for  her,  she  will  never  learn 
the  knowledge  of  character  enabling  her  to  choose 
her  company  wisely  in  after  life.  Of  the  two  ex- 
tremes, too  much  liberty  is  probably  better  than  too 
little,  because  the  vital  point  at  this  period  of  life  is 
the  acquirement  of  self-reliance  and  self-control. 

The  greatest  difficulty  in  a  school  girl's  amuse- 
ments at  the  present  day  is  to  keep  them  sufficiently 
simple.  Every  year  sees  her  pleasures  become  more 


SCHOOL  DAYS  253 

like  those  of  her  elders,  and  with  every  step  taken  in 
this  direction  she  loses  something  of  the  real  enjoy- 
ment that  is  the  right  of  youth.  For  girls  of  four- 
teen or  fifteen,  formal  entertainments  such  as  teas 
and  lunches  are  a  mistake.  At  this  age  a  girl  gets  no 
real  pleasure  from  them,  though  the  self-consciousness 
of  the  period  may  lead  her  to  feel  a  certain  gratifica- 
tion in  imitating  her  elders.  Evening  entertainments, 
however,  with  dancing  or  games,  which  provide  an 
outlet  for  the  high  spirits  and  physical  activity  of 
youth,  are  usually  the  source  of  real  enjoyment,  and 
public  amusements,  such  as  the  theater  or  concerts, 
not  only  give  pleasure  but  are  a  real  benefit  by  culti- 
vating a  girl's  taste  along  the  best  lines  and  guiding 
her  in  coming  to  a  decision  as  to  her  own  special  apti- 
tude for  accomplishment.  And  it  ought  to  be  gen- 
erally recognized  that  this  time  in.  life,  when  a  girl's 
nature  is  plastic  and  her  susceptibilities  quick  and 
keen,  is  the  period  when  she  should  be  trained  in 
those  social  observances,  obligations,  and  courtesies 
which  the  French  so  appropriately  call,  les  petites 
morales.  Any  little  mistakes  that  a  girl  makes  in  so- 
cial shibboleths  at  this  age  excite  no  comment,  for 
they  are  set  down  to  inexperience,  whereas  a  few  years 
later,  when  she  goes  into  society  as  a  woman,  the 
same  negligences  and  ignorances  may  expose  her  to 
unkind  criticism.  All  evening  entertainments,  how- 
ever, whatever  their  nature,  ought  to  be  restricted  to 
18 


254  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

Friday  and  Saturday  evenings,  except  during  the  holi- 
days. Nothing,  as  I  have  already  said,  is  so  essential 
to  a  girl's  health  at  this  age  as  sleep  and  no  amuse- 
ments should  be  allowed  that  shorten  her  night's  rest. 
One  most  important  feature  in  social  life  at  this  age 
is  the  relation  between  young  girls  and  boys  of  the 
same  age  or  a  little  older.  The  time  of  life  when 
they  can  amuse  themselves  together  on  exactly  the 
same  footing  disappears  with  childhood.  With  the 
advent  of  puberty  the  fundamental  difference  estab- 
lished by  Nature  between  the  sexes  asserts  itself  and 
demands  recognition,  bringing  with  it  a  new  social 
relation  just  as  natural  in  its  way  as  that  of  childhood, 
but  calling  for  great  care  and  circumspection.  The 
outward  and  visible  sign  of  this  different  relation  be- 
tween the  sexes  is  that  girls  and  boys  begin  to  regard 
each  other  in  an  entirely  new  light.  Very  few  love 
affairs  of  any  real  significance,  as  we  saw  in  a  pre- 
vious chapter,  develop  at  this  age,  for  the  element  of 
passion  does  not  exist  before  maturity,  but  the  com- 
ing event  sometimes  casts  its  shadow  before  and  as 
the  emotional  susceptibility  of  the  age  is  very  great, 
a  sort  of  prologue  to  the  old,  old  story  is  often  en- 
acted. At  this  stage  of  development  it  is  most  import- 
ant that  a  girl  should  put  confidence  in  her  parents 
and  that  they  should  encourage  her  seeing  the  right 
kind  of  acquaintance  of  the  other  sex.  If  a  girl 
feels  that  her  parents  are  glad  to  further  her  inter- 


SCHOOL  DAYS  255 

course  with  boys  whom  they  have  reason  to  like  and 
respect,  she  will  be  willing  to  give  up  an  acquaintance 
which  they  disapprove.  Moreover,  it  is  through  a 
girl's  intercourse  with  the  other  sex  that  she  receives 
one  most  valuable  part  of  her  social  training,  namely, 
the  knowledge  how  to  accept  their  attentions  gra- 
ciously and  also  to  protect  herself  against  them  when 
it  is  necessary  to  do  so.  We  teach  little  children 
that  they  must  be  responsive  to  everyone  and  accept 
any  notice  that  is  taken  of  them  with  courtesy,  but 
there  comes  a  time  when  it  is  just  as  necessary  for  a 
girl  to  learn  that  attentions  on  the  part  of  the  other 
sex  must  sometimes  be  refused  or  accepted  in  a  quali- 
fied manner,  and  that  she  must  acquire  the  art  of  doing 
so  with  dignity  and  firmness  but  without  giving  need- 
less offense.  Many  a  girl  has  been  subjected  to  un- 
kind criticism  for  allowing  the  attentions  of  a  boy  of 
her  own  age  whose  conduct  or  manners  were  not  all 
they  should  be,  when  she  was  really  not  at  all  anxious 
for  them  and  only  allowed  them  because  she  was  not 
sufficiently  well  trained  to  know  how  to  rid  herself  of 
them  without  actual  rudeness. 

The  choice  of  a  girl's  companions  among  her  own 
sex  is  a  matter  of  more  importance  than  it  is  always 
thought  to  be.  A  girl  of  low  principle  or  bad  habits 
can  do  untold  harm  at  this  age,  especially  when  she  is 
a  little  the  older.  Unfortunately  the  girl  who  is  cal- 
culated to  do  most  harm  is  not  always  the  girl  who  is 


256  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

most  displeasing  to  parents.  If  she  has  smooth  man- 
ners and  worldly  wisdom  enough  to  make  her  wish 
to  stand  well  with  her  friend's  family  she  may  make 
it  her  business  to  deceive  them.  A  girl's  character  is 
sometimes  warped  by  a  companion  who  seemed  to  her 
mother  a  quiet  well-behaved  girl. 

The  physical  side  of  a  girl's  amusements  is  a  con- 
siderable factor  in  her  health  at  a  time  when  bodily 
activity  is  at  its  greatest  and  high  spirits  require  an 
abundant  outlet.  It  is  worth  while  to  go  to  some 
trouble  and  expense  to  provide  girls  with  amusements, 
either  within  doors  or  without,  which  gratify  the 
superabundant  energy  and  activity  of  the  age  and  pro- 
vide an  outlet  for  nervous  restlessness.  Without  some 
form  of  physical  activity  the  young,  rapidly-growing 
body  is  uncomfortable  and  ill  at  ease,  while  if  the  rest- 
lessness and  pent-up  vitality  is  allowed  to  express  itself 
without  training  or  supervision  it  will  often  lead  to 
awkwardness  of  bearing  and  rough  boisterous  actions 
which  detract  greatly  from  a  girl's  physical  attrac- 
tiveness. 

The  various  forms  of  outdoor  exercise  suitable  for 
girls  have  been  already  discussed.  Of  all  indoor  ac- 
tive amusements  nothing  meets  the  necessities  of  the 
case  so  perfectly  as  dancing.  I  do  not  mean  what  is 
known  as  round  dancing,  though  this  is  healthful  too 
in  its  own  time  and  place,  but  figure,  or,  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  (esthetic  dancing.  It  not  only  affords  an 


SCHOOL  DAYS  257 

outlet  for  the  superabundant  energy  and  high  animal 
spirits  of  youth  and  at  the  same  time  gives  great  en- 
joyment, but  it  trains  certain  faculties,  especially  those 
of  coordination  in  a  way  that  nothing  else  can  do. 
Moreover,  the  costumes  and  accessories,  demanded  in 
the  national  and  fancy  dances,  appeal  strongly  to  the 
love  of  dress  and  adornment  so  strong  at  this  age. 
Fencing  possesses  some  of  the  same  advantages  as  a 
form  of  indoor  activity,  but  it  does  not  afford  the 
same  outlet  for  restlessness  and  pent-up  activity. 

Of  all  sedentary  home  amusements  for  girls,  the 
most  important,  of  course,  is  reading.  Very  few 
girls  fail  to  care  for  reading  altogether,  though  the 
majority  of  them  do  not  enjoy  anything  but  fiction 
Investigations  recently  made  into  the  choice  of  read- 
ing among  young  girls  show  that  although  it  is  not 
vicious,  on  the  contrary,  there  is  every  reason  for 
satisfaction  on  this  score,  it  is  extremely  trivial  and 
inferior.  There  are  several  factors  at  work  in  this 
want  of  literary  taste  among  girls,  but  in  all  probabil- 
ity the  most  important  is  the  fact  that  their  minds 
are  stultified  by  the  mass  of  so-called  literature  for 
children  provided  to-day.  Up  to  a  generation  ago 
the  number  of  books  written  expressly  for  children 
was  limited,  and  a  little  girl  who  had  a  taste  for  read- 
ing was  forced  to  gratify  it  by  books  written  for  her 
elders.  This  brought  her  into  contact  with  really 
good  literature  from  her  earliest  childhood  and  her 


258  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

literary  taste  was  insensibly  trained  along  the  best 
lines,  so  that  by  the  time  she  reached  girlhood  she 
found  no  pleasure  in  what  was  inferior.  But  to-day 
children  all  over  the  world  are  suffering  from  a  curse 
in  the  guise  of  a  blessing  in  the  multitude  of  books 
and  magazines  written  expressly  for  them,  and  a  little 
girl,  supplied  from  the  time  she  can  read  at  all  with 
any  number  of  books  of  this  class,  is  affected  ulti- 
mately in  one  of  two  ways.  If  she  has  little  or  no  in- 
tellectual capacity,  her  mind  will  become  completely 
dwarfed,  so  that  by  the  time  she  reaches  girlhood  she 
is  unable  to  care  for  anything  of  a  higher  calibre  than 
the  Pansy  books.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  she  chances 
to  be  a  child  of  really  good  mind,  she  will  turn  in- 
stinctively from  what  is  vapid  and  commonplace,  but 
her  inherent  taste  for  interest  and  force  will  find  grati- 
fication only  in  what  is  highly  spiced  and  exciting  as, 
for  instance,  the  novels  of  Marie  Corelli.  Literary 
merit  of  any  other  kind  will  have  no  meaning  for 
her.  For,  in  considering  the  reading  of  young  girls, 
it  must  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  excess  of 
emotion  characteristic  of  this  age,  with  the  desire  for 
new  experience,  and  the  awakening  feeling  for  the 
other  sex,  necessarily  creates  a  craving  for  love 
stories;  and  provided  the  story  is  an  innocent  one, 
where  the  course  of  true  love  after  the  usual  vicissi- 
tudes ends  in  marrying  and  living  happily  ever  after, 
such  stories  are  in  no  way  harmful. 


SCHOOL  DAYS  259 

If  a  girl's  taste  in  reading  is  to  be  what  it  should 
be,  it  is  necessary  to  begin  to  form  it  a  long  time  be- 
fore girlhood.  When  the  mind  has  been  restricted 
and  the  taste  injured  by  being  fed  on  nothing  but  the 
popular  children's  literature,  it  will  be  a  long  time  be- 
fore she  learns  to  enjoy  what  is  really  good  in  litera- 
ture, if  indeed  she  ever  does.  Yet  we  cannot,  ob- 
viously, go  back  to  the  conditions  of  half  a  century 
ago,  when  a  little  girl  who  wanted  to  read  had  noth- 
ing but  good  standard  works.  All  that  we  can  do  is 
to  keep  the  supply  of  children's  books  as  low  and  as 
select  as  possible,  and  offer  every  encouragement  to 
reading  more  desirable  ones.  Some  of  the  best 
schools  for  girls  are  making  an  effort  to  cultivate  their 
taste  in  reading  by  giving  lists  of  books,  especially 
fiction,  which  they  are  advised  to  read  in  the  summer 
holidays,  but  no  one  can  do  so  much  in  this  way  as  the 
parents,  if  they  only  realize  the  necessity  for  effort  on 
their  part.  How  little  they  do  understand  it  is  well 
illustrated  by  a  story  told  by  someone  recently  writ- 
ing on  the  subject  of  girls'  reading.  A  schoolgirl,  in 
some  paper  sent  up  to  her  teacher,  had  spoken  most 
enthusiastically  of  a  certain  lurid  and  sensational  story 
by  a  popular  authoress,  and  her  teacher  recognizing 
the  evils  of  that  style  of  literature,  wrote  upon  the 
margin  of  her  paper  on  returning  it,  not  suitable," 
to  which  the  girl's  father  wrote  in  reply,  "  why  on 
earth  not?" 


I6o  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

The  only  point  in  regard  to  which  average  parents 
seem  to  be  concerned  in  their  daughters'  reading  is 
the  possibility  of  their  acquiring  what  they  consider 
an  over-early  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  But  this 
is  a  matter  in  which  it  is  necessary  to  discriminate. 
As  long  as  we  have  to  do  with  actual  childhood, 
there  is  no  reason  for  apprehending  any  danger  of 
this  kind.  Incidents  and  situations  associated  with 
sorrow  and  sin  are  full  of  terrible  significance  to 
mature  readers,  because  their  own  knowledge  of  life 
supplies  them  with  a  key  by  which  to  interpret  them, 
but  they  have  no  meaning  for  a  child  whose  mind 
contains  no  means  of  interpretation.  A  middle-aged 
woman  whose  reading  in  childhood  had  been  perfectly 
unrestricted,  once  told  me  that  she  remembered  some 
relatives  remonstrating  with  her  mother  for  allowing 
her  to  read  "  Vanity  Fair  "  when  she  was  only  ten 
years  old;  and  in  after  years  she  was  moved  to  try  and 
recall  as  vividly  as  she  could  what  had  been  her  un- 
derstanding of  the  book  at  this  time  and  especially  of 
the  relations  between  Becky  Sharp  and  Lord  Steyne. 
She  remembered,  she  said,  that  she  imagined  Lord 
Steyne  to  be  an  old  and  valued  family  friend,  to  whom 
Rawdon  as  well  as  his  wife  was  attached,  and  Raw- 
don's  quarrel  with  him  appeared  to  her  the  most 
natural  thing  in  the  world,  since  he  had  been  left  in 
prison  when  Becky  had  plenty  of  money  to  get  him 
out  and  Lord  Steyne,  having  given  it  to  her,  knew  that 


SCHOOL  DAYS  261 

she  had  it.  The  real  nature  of  their  relations  never 
entered  her  mind  because  no  path  had  been  opened  by 
which  it  could  enter.  This  little  story  seems  to  me 
to  show  the  real  facts  in  this  matter,  namely,  that 
children  cannot  get  a  knowledge  of  evil  from  reading 
about  what  they  are  incapable  of  understanding. 

But  when  a  girl  emerges  from  childhood,  the  ques- 
tion assumes  a  different  aspect.  Puberty  brings  with 
it  a  natural  curiosity  in  regard  to  sexual  things,  as 
well  as  more  or  less  knowledge  in  regard  to  them, 
therefore  many  things  whose  meaning  was  completely 
hidden  up  to  this  time,  are  now  to  some  extent  under- 
stood. Moreover,  in  those  cases  where  parents  pursue 
the  policy  of  absolute  reticence  as  regards  sexual  mat- 
ters, a  girl  will  often  seek  for  light  upon  the  subject 
in  the  books  she  reads.  It  would  not  be  either  just  or 
kind  to  ^say  that  only  a  girl  with  a  naturally  vulgar 
mind  will  do  this.  The  attitude  of  inquiry  into  the 
questions  of  sex  is  as  natural  as  the  attitude  of  in- 
quiry into  any  other  aspect  of  life;  it  is  the  parents 
who  are  at  fault  for  failing  to  deal  frankly  with  a 
girl  on  such  subjects. 

For  these  reasons,  much  more  care  is  necessary  in 
regard  to  a  young  girl's  reading  than  a  child's.  The 
important  thing  in  this  matter,  as  in  all  matters  in- 
volving the  question  of  sex,  is  that  the  relation  be- 
tween a  girl  and  her  mother  shall  be  of  such  a  nature 
that  she  will  seek  the  explanation  of  things  half  un- 


262  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

derstood  from  the  legitimate  source  and  thus  learn 
the  right  way  of  regarding  them.  A  girl  must  find 
out  as  she  grows  older  that  marriage  is  not  always 
sacred  nor  girlhood  always  innocent,  and  if  when  these 
things  are  suggested  to  her  through  the  medium  of 
books  she  is  able  to  discuss  them  frankly  with  her 
mother  or  some  older  woman  who  will  teach  her  the 
right  point  of  view  in  such  things,  she  will  acquire 
good  principles  in  regard  to  them  for  use  in  later  life. 
If  it  should  be  thought  that  the  question  of  a  girl's 
reading  occupies  rather  a  disproportionate  space  in 
this  chapter,  I  must  plead  that  of  all  a  girl's  amuse- 
ments reading  is  the  most  important.  Other  forms 
of  girlish  enjoyment  are  more  or  less  transitory  in 
their  effects.  But  reading  has  a  permanent  influence 
upon  mind  and  character  which  entitles  it  to  special 
consideration.  Upon  the  nature  of  a  girl's  reading 
both  in  childhood  and  girlhood  will  depend  not  only 
the  formation  of  her  literary  taste,  but  what  is  far 
more  important,  much  of  her  attitude  towards  life 
and  the  views  and  opinions  by  which  she  guides  her 
own  actions.  The  school  girl's  reading,  therefore,  is 
a  most  important  factor  in  her  ultimate  welfare. 


CHAPTER  X 

DAILY  LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL 

Home  life  on  leaving  school  —  College  life  —  Self-support 
—  Dress. 

THE  years  between  eighteen  and  twenty  or  twenty- 
one,  when  a  girl  has  left  school  and  begun  life,  as  it 
were,  on  her  own  account,  are  much  more  diversified 
as  regards  occupation  than  was  the  case  a  generation 
ago  when  she  married  a  year  or  two  after  the  close  of 
her  school  education.  In  those  times  her  sojourn  at 
home  appeared  to  her  in  the  light  of  an  interlude  be- 
tween two  acts  in  the  drama  of  life  to  be  filled  up  as 
pleasantly  as  might  be.  Now-a-days,  when  marriage 
before  twenty-five  is  exceptional,  a  girl  on  leaving 
school  plans  her  life  on  the  supposition  that  ten  or, 
it  may  be,  fifteen  years  lie  before  her  in  which 
to  pursue  some  kind  of  definite  occupation  before  she 
marries  and  goes  to  a  home  of  her  own.  Three  roads 
of  which  she  may  make  choice  lie  before  her:  She 
may  live  at  home  and  fill  up  her  time  with  household 
duties,  social  obligations,  and  philanthropic  work;  she 
may  carry  her  education  farther  by  going  to  college  or 

263 


264  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

some  technical  institution;  or,  finally,  she  may  assume 
the  burden  of  her  own  support. 

Whichever  of  the  three  ways  a  girl  determines  to 
follow,  she  must  pass  through  a  certain  phase  of  her 
own  development  during  the  time  between  eighteen 
and  twenty  or  twenty-one.  Her  physical  growth  is 
complete,  her  reproductive  system  is  established,  and 
the  chief  feature  of  these  later  years  of  girlhood  is 
the  evolution  of  her  intellectual  faculties  which  have, 
so  far,  been  behind  the  emotional  ones.  This  is  the 
time  in  life  when  she  begins  to  think,  to  feel,  to  judge, 
and  to  act  independently.  The  desire  for  freedom  of 
mind  and  body,  which  is  the  chief  moral  characteristic 
of  this  period,  impels  her  to  follow  new  lines  of 
thought  and  action,  but,  as  impetuosity  is  also  a  marked 
feature  of  it,  she  will  probably  make  many  mistakes 
and  have  to  bear  the  brunt  of  numerous  imprudences. 
At  this  stage  of  her  career,  however,  the  kindest  thing 
that  can  be  done  for  a  girl  is  to  let  her  alone  until  she 
has  found  her  bearings,  standing  ready  to  give  her  a 
helping  hand,  if  necessary,  but  not  forcing  it  upon 
her  without  due  reason.  If  her  training  in  childhood 
and  early  girlhood  has  been  what  it  ought  to  be, 
she  will  be  secure  from  gross  errors  of  conduct,  and 
this  being  so,  she  will  learn  more  from  her  own  mis- 
takes and  follies  than  in  any  other  way. 

For  the  girl  who  decides  to  spend  the  first  years 
after  leaving  home  in  her  own  domestic  circle,  her 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  265 

life  at  home  is  sometimes  a  trying  one.  During  a 
number  of  years  her  time  has  all  been  regulated  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  a  great  educational  system, 
and  when  there  comes  an  abrupt  and  definite  change 
it  is  often  as  hard  for  her  to  accommodate  herself 
to  the  new  order  of  things  as  for  an  animal  brought 
up  in  captivity  to  adapt  itself  to  sudden  freedom. 
Things  are  made  all  the  harder  for  her,  because  she 
herself  does  not  understand  the  cause  of  her  restless- 
ness and  discomfort  and  in  many  cases  her  family  and 
friends  are  no  more  able  to  account  for  them  than 
she.  The  possession  of  some  definite  talent  or  even 
some  marked  inclination  is  a  great  blessing  to  a  girl 
under  the  altered  conditions  of  her  life  at  this  time. 
She  has  then  a  little  claim  of  her  own,  so  to  speak, 
staked  out  for  her  to  cultivate,  the  existence  of  which 
provides  her  with  a  fixed  point  of  interest  around 
which  her  life  will  gradually  arrange  itself.  It  often 
serves  also  to  obviate  possible  friction  as  regards  the 
question  of  outside  claims  upon  her  time,  for  even  the 
most  old-fashioned  parent  recognizes  the  evil  of  keep- 
ing a  talent  in  a  napkin.  The  girl  who  is  not  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  have  an  absorbing  occupation  ready  for 
her  when  she  is  first  thrown  upon  her  own  resources 
in  the  arrangement  of  her  time,  had  better  select  some 
congenial  pursuit  and  follow  it  up. 

The  class  of  girls  who  make  a  business  of  society  is 
such  a  small  one  that  it  is  not  worth  while  to  con- 


266  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

sider  it  here,  but  every  girl  should  have  her  share  of 
gaiety  and  pleasure  at  this  period  of  her  life,  for  this 
is  the  time  when  Nature  intended  she  should  have  it. 
The  old  saying  that  we  are  young  but  once  is  none 
the  less  true  for  being  hackneyed,  and  like  many  an- 
other wise  old  saw,  the  grounds  of  its  wisdom  become 
clearer  to  us  as  we  understand  the  psychology  of 
human  nature  more  fully.  At  this  age  the  awkward- 
ness, shyness,  and  morbid  self-consciousness  of  early 
girlhood  have  to  a  large  extent  passed  away,  leaving 
animal  spirits  and  the  joy  in  living  for  its  own  sake  to 
assert  themselves  with  an  intensity  which  does  not  be- 
long to  any  other  period  of  life.  To  deny  a  girl  the 
enjoyment  of  such  pleasures  as  come  naturally  in  her 
way  is  doing  her  a  great  injustice  and  those  in  charge 
of  her  ought  to  be  ready  to  take  some  little  trouble 
and  make  some  little  effort  in  order  to  secure  them  for 
her. 

Thirty  years  ago  the  girl  who  went  to  college  was 
an  exceptional  being  whom  her  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances regarded  with  mingled  admiration  and  disap- 
proval ;  now  a  college  education  for  women  is  so  com- 
mon that  the  question  whether  a  girl  shall  or  shall  not 
go  to  college  comes  up  for  discussion  in  every  instance, 
if  only  to  be  answered  in  the  negative.  For  those 
who  hesitate  in  regard  to  sending  a  daughter  to  col- 
lege for  fear  of  injury  to  her  health,  there  is  every 
assurance,  if  they  will  look  into  the  matter,  that  such 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  267 

anxiety  is  unfounded.  The  majority  of  girls  leave 
college  at  the  expiration  of  their  college  course  in  ex- 
cellent physical  condition,  and,  although  there  is  a 
small  minority  who  are  out  of  health  on  graduation  or 
break  down  before  reaching  it,  the  failure  in  their 
health,  like  the  failure  in  health  of  school  girls,  is  due 
to  other  reasons  than  over-exertion  at  work  required 
by  the  college. 

The  physical  conditions  of  a  girl's  life  while  at  col- 
lege are  everything  that  could  be  desired,  in  fact  there 
is  no  time  in  a  girl's  life  when  her  physical  necessi- 
ties receive  such  attention.  The  difficulties  in  the 
school  girl's  life  arising  from  conflict  between  her  ne- 
cessities and  those  of  other  members  of  the  family  do 
not  exist  at  college  where  everything  in  the  student's 
life  is  arranged  to  suit  her  comfort  and  convenience  in 
the  first  instance.  Meal  hours  are  adjusted  to  lecture 
hours,  outdoor  exercise  and  gymnasium  work  cannot 
be  neglected  without  attracting  the  attention  of  the 
authorities,  and  recreations  are  so  regulated  by  the 
rules  of  the  college  that  except  on  Fridays  and  Satur- 
days the  college  girl  has  no  temptation  to  sit  up  after 
ten  o'clock.  Certain  complaints  reach  the  public  from 
time  to  time  as  to  the  quality,  quantity,  and  service  of 
the  food,  but  all  investigations  into  the  matter  have 
shown  that  there  is  no  reasonable  grounds  for  com- 
plaint. The  only  fault  that  can  ever  be  justifiably 
found  is  the  absence  of  variety  and  it  is  not  clear  how 


268  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

far  even  this  can  be  supported.  How  far  girls  injure 
their  digestions  by  five  o'clock  teas  is  another  matter, 
but  one  thing  is  certain,  and  that  is  they  have  far  too 
strong  a  hold  to  be  abandoned. 

The  only  channel  through  which  injury  to  health 
in  college  can  occur  is  over-exertion  caused  by  un- 
dertaking some  pursuit  outside  of  college  work  or  by 
neglect  of  proper  rest  and  relaxation.  The  amount 
of  work  required  of  a  girl  at  college  is  calculated  for 
the  strength  of  an  average  girl  of  eighteen  to  twenty- 
two  or  three,  on  the  assumption  that  she  makes  it  her 
sole  object,  and  if  she  spends  her  strength  on  some- 
thing outside  of  it,  it  is  plain  that  either  she  or  the 
work  must  suffer.  Any  kind  of  exertion  distinct 
from  college  requirements,  therefore,  constitutes  an 
element  of  risk  to  health,  though  it  does  not,  of  course, 
always  result  in  definite  injury. 

Of  the  various  ways  in  which  a  college  girl's 
strength  can  be  over-taxed,  the  most  serious  is  extra 
work  occasioned  by  passing  off  conditions  incurred  on 
entrance.  A  girl  of  average  intellectual  ability  ought 
to  be  able  to  enter  college  unhampered  by  conditions, 
provided  her  school  training  has  been  thorough, 
but  unfortunately  not  by  any  means  all  schools 
are  thorough,  and  many  a  girl  who  supposes  her- 
self ready  for  college  fails  to  pass  one  or  more  of 
the  examinations  for  entrance.  The  girl  who  fails  in 
several  different  branches  and  fails  badly  is  really  for- 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  269 

tunate,  if  she  would  but  believe  it,  for  then  it  is  im- 
possible for  her  to  enter  and  she  must  either  give  up 
the  idea  altogether  or  make  up  her  mind  to  spend  con- 
siderable time  and  possibly  considerable  money  in  ad- 
ditional study.  But  if  the  failure  is  in  only  a  few 
branches,  the  student  is  allowed  to  enter  on  condi- 
tion that  she  passes  the  examinations  on  the  subjects  in 
which  she  failed  within  a  specified  time.  Now  if  a 
girl  begins  her  college  work  with  a  burden  upon  her 
shoulders  like  the  old  Man  of  the  Sea,  the  time  out- 
side of  her  regular  work,  which  should  be  re- 
served for  rest  and  recreation,  must  be  spent  in 
working  at  her  conditions  and  consequently  by  the 
time  they  are  disposed  of,  she  is  so  much  over-tired 
that  the  over- fatigue  remains  with  her  all  through  col- 
lege. The  responsibility  for  this  particular  danger  to 
a  college  girl's  health  must  rest  between  her  parents 
and  the  college  authorities.  The  colleges  claim  that 
they  recognize  the  evil  and  do  their  best  to  counter- 
act it  by  restricting  the  number  of  conditions  allowed 
and  by  insisting  that  they  shall  be  passed  off  before  a 
girl  has  gone  far  in  her  college  career,  but  there  is  a 
great  deal  still  remaining  for  them  to  do.  One  condi- 
tion is  all  that  should  be  allowed  in  the  ordinary  case, 
though  there  ought,  of  course,  to  be  a  discretionary 
power  in  exceptional  ones.  But  parents  have  it  in 
their  power  to  control  the  whole  situation  by  refusing 

to  allow  their  daughter  to  go  to  college  at  all  until  she^. 
IP 


270  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

can  enter  without  conditions  altogether.  If  they 
would  only  do  this  whenever  it  is  possible,  they  would 
accomplish  more  to  protect  the  health  of  the  college 
girl  than  can  be  done  in  any  other  way.  I  say  when- 
ever possible,  because  there  are,  of  course,  some  cases 
in  which  the  reasons  for  entering  college  without  loss 
of  time  are  so  strong  as  to  over-power  the  risk  in- 
curred and  others  where  the  risk  is  less  than  usual. 
If,  for  instance,  a  girl  is  over  the  usual  age  on  en- 
trance, the  loss  of  time  spent  in  further  preparation  is 
more  serious  and  the  danger  to  health  from  extra 
work  less  so  than  in  the  ordinary  case,  since  a  woman 
of,  say  twenty-five,  can  stand  the  consequent  strain 
much  better  than  a  girl  of  eighteen,  whose  physical 
and  mental  powers  are  still  immature.  But  it  is  the 
girl  of  eighteen  whom  we  are  considering  at  present, 
and  her  reasons  for  wishing  to  get  into  college  immedi- 
ately are  usually  that  she  wants  to  enter  with  a  particu- 
lar set  of  girls  with  whom  she  is  intimate  or  that  she 
does  not  like  to  have  it  known  that  she  has  failed, 
which  it  will  be  if  she  does  not  go  at  the  expected  time. 
Necessity  for  contribution  to  self-support  while  in 
college  is  another  element  in  over-fatigue  and  conse- 
quent failure  of  health.  The  health  statistics  of 
women's  colleges  where  this  sort  of  thing  is  most  com- 
mon show  that  girls  do  not  break  down  from  this 
cause  as  often  as  might  be  expected,  probably  because 
the  work  done  for  self-support  is  often  of  an  unintel- 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  271 

lectual  nature.  If  a  girl  must  do  something  to- 
wards her  own  expenses,  she  will  be  wise  to  choose 
some  of  the  numerous  miscellaneous  jobs  along  the 
domestic  lines  rather  than  tutoring.  Another  thing 
that  is  an  absolute  necessity  to  the  health  of  the  self- 
supporting  college  girl  is  some  amount  of  uninter- 
rupted summer  vacation.  A  strong  vigorous  girl  does 
not  require  the  whole  three  to  four  months  holiday, 
but  she  ought  to  have  at  least  three  weeks  of  it,  and, 
if  possible,  it  should  be  just  before  college  re-opens. 

Another  possible  factor  in  over- fatigue  is  the  effort 
to  keep  up  a  social  life  outside  of  the  college.  The 
student  who  does  this  steadily  for  any  length  of  time 
will  surely  fall  between  the  two  stools  in  the  end. 
Parents  are  often  to  blame  (quite  innocently)  for  this 
mistake,  If  they  live  near  enough  to  the  college  for 
such  a  thing  to  be  possible,  they  will  urge  and  even 
insist  that  their  daughter  shall  come  home  every  Fri- 
day till  Monday  and  then,  when  she  does  so,  they  are 
hurt  or  displeased  if  she  does  not  enter  into  every- 
thing that  is  going  on  there.  Still  another  error  into 
which  parents,  and  especially  mothers  are  prone  to 
fall  is  urging  a  girl  to  exertions  beyond  her  strength 
because  her  mother  believes  she  has  more  ability  than 
is  really  the  case.  The  girl  herself  does  not  often 
make  this  mistake.  She  may  come  to  college  with 
too  good  an  opinion  of  herself,  but  it  does  not  take 
her  long  to  find  her  own  level  and  she  usually  accepts 


272  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

it  with  philosophy,  seeing  many  another  in  like  con- 
dition. But  if  her  mother  persists  in  believing  that 
she  is  the  cleverest  girl  in  her  class  and  has  only  to 
exert  herself  to  prove  it,  she  may  be  driven  to  make 
exertions  beyond  her  strength  or  to  curtail  her  sleep 
and  exercise,  not  because  she  hopes  to  fulfill  her 
mother's  ambitions,  but  because  she  cannot  bear  to 
be  thought  to  fail  in  doing  her  best. 

It  cannot  be  too  often  insisted  that  pressure  just  at 
this  age,  whether  it  be  direct  or  indirect,  is  peculiarly 
dangerous,  because  although  the  emotional  side  of  a 
girl's  nature  is  less  markedly  in  excess  than  was  the 
case  a  few  years  before,  it  is  still  somewhat  unstable, 
nor  is  the  morbid  conscientiousness  of  early  girlhood 
always  wholly  outgrown,  consequently  she  is  quite 
likely  to  respond  to  stimulation  too  ardently  for  her 
own  good.  A  boy  will  not  yield  to  pressure  from 
without  when  he  thinks  it  unreasonable,  but  a  girl 
gives  way  much  more  readily  and  often  too  much  so 
for  her  own  good.  Again,  a  boy  feels  failure  or  the 
dread  of  it  less  intensely  than  a  girl,  partly  because 
he  is  naturally  less  sensitive  and  partly  because  col 
lege  education  in  his  case  is  not  an  experiment  fo» 
the  success  of  which  he  feels  himself  responsible. 

But  the  point  of  greatest  importance  in  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  college  girl's  health  is  the  necessity  for  fa- 
voring her  strength  at  regular  periodical  intervals. 
The  course  of  study  at  college  was  originally  planned 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  273 

with  a  view  to  the  physical  necessities  of  boys  and  it 
has  been  adopted  ready  made  for  girls  without  any 
regard  to  the  fundamental  differences  between  the 
sexes.  A  boy's  health  and  strength  is  the  same  all 
through  his  college  work  except  for  such  occasional 
interruptions  as  may  arise  from  an  accident  at  foot- 
ball or  an  attack  of  tonsillitis.  But  a  girl  must  con- 
tend not  only  with  such  interruptions  as  these,  but  with 
regularly  recurring  intervals  when  her  nervous  sys- 
tem is  under  special  tension  for  the  time  being  and 
therefore  her  work  makes  a  little  additional  demand 
upon  her  strength.  A  woman  physician,  with  a  large 
experience  among  college  girls,  tells  me  that  she  con- 
siders it  would  be  fair  to  estimate  the  proportion  of 
her  time  that  the  average  girl  is  under  a  disadvantage 
from  this  reason  as  about  one-fifth  of  the  whole. 
During  one-fifth  of  her  time,  then,  the  average  col- 
lege girl  must  do  her  work  under  slightly  greater  ten- 
sion than  usual  and  make  slightly  more  demands  upon 
her  strength  in  doing  it.  And  if  she  goes  on  steadily 
year  after  year  working  under  additional  pressure  for 
a  definite  proportion  of  her  time,  without  making  any 
effort  to  save  her  strength  at  such  times,  her  nervous 
system  will  gradually  feel  the  effects  of  her  efforts  and 
manifest  it  by  severe  periodical  suffering  or  else 
by  symptoms  of  general  nervous  exhaustion.  The 
connection  between  this  exhaustion,  in  her  final 
year,  perhaps,  and  the  neglect  of  periodical  pre- 


274  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

caution  in  the  years  preceding,  however,  is  not  gener- 
ally suspected ;  on  the  contrary,  her  extreme  fatigue  on 
graduation  is  at  once  set  down  to  over-work  in  the 
college  courses,  thereby  strengthening  the  hands  of 
those  who  wish  to  prove  that  women  are  not  physically 
equal  to  the  strain  of  a  college  education. 

The  presence  of  this  fundamental  difference  be- 
tween the  sexes  and  its  influence  upon  a  girl's  nervous 
system  is  the  main  reason  why  all  work  over  and  above 
the  legitimate  claims  of  college  courses  is  more  dan- 
gerous —  other  things  equal  —  for  a  girl  than  for  a 
boy,  whether  the  additional  work  is  in  the  form  of 
conditions,  of  self-support,  of  outside  distractions,  or 
anything  else  whatever.  No  doubt  many  college  girls 
do  take  reasonable  precautions  for  saving  their 
strength  when  it  is  necessary;  the  health  statistics  at 
the  different  institutions  would  not  otherwise  be  so 
good  as  they  are.  But  there  is  a  growing  inclination  to 
regard  periodical  precautionary  measures  as  a  work  of 
supererogation,  and  if  this  indifference  should  increase 
to  any  extent,  the  health  of  college  girls  as  a  whole 
will  certainly  depreciate.  It  is  with  the  intention  of 
calling  attention  to  this  danger  that  so  much  emphasis 
is  laid  upon  the  subject  here. 

Before  concluding  the  subject  of  college  education 
for  girls  it  is  worth  while  to  say  a  word  as  to  the  girl 
whose  health  is  constitutionally  delicate,  but  who 
wishes,  nevertheless,  to  have  a  college  training.  Some 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  275 

good  authorities  hold  that  such  a  girl  ought  not  to 
be  allowed  to  make  the  attempt  at  all,  but  this  seems 
an  extreme  view.  If  a  delicate  girl  is  willing  to  accept 
the  fact  of  her  disabilities  and  shape  her  course  ac- 
cordingly, there  is  no  reason  why  she  should  not  go 
through  college.  It  is  not  worth  while,  for  her  to 
think  of  such  a  thing  unless  her  means  are  sufficient 
to  carry  her  through  college  without  any  exertions  on 
her  part  and  they  should  also  be  sufficient  to  keep  her 
there  longer  than  the  usual  time,  if  necessary.  For 
the  crux  of  the  situation  is  this  —  the  delicate  girl 
must  make  up  her  mind  that  she  must  arrange  to  do 
rather  less  than  the  customary  amount  of  work  each 
year.  Therefore,  if  she  leaves  college  with  the  class 
to  which  she  belongs,  she  will  have  to  do  so  without 
taking  her  degree;  or  if  she  wants  to  complete  the 
whole  course  and  take  her  degree,  she  must  stay  on  by 
herself  after  her  companions  have  gone,  like  the  crip- 
pled child  left  behind  by  the  Pied  Piper  of  Hamelin, 
until  the  whole  amount  of  work  is  finished.  A  yet 
more  excellent  way  is  to  carry  her  studies  so  far  be- 
fore she  enters  that  she  will  have  less  than  the  regular 
amount  of  work  to  do  for  her  degree  and  can  complete 
what  is  necessary  in  four  years  and  graduate  with  her 
class.  But  for  a  naturally  delicate  girl  to  come  to 
college  without  entering  some  caveat  as  to  the  amount 
of  work  she  undertakes  each  year  is  almost  certain 
to  end  in  disaster. 


276  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

For  the  young  girl  who  must  support  herself,  either 
wholly  or  in  part,  immediately  on  leaving  school, 
health  is  the  most  valuable  part  of  her  stock  in  trade. 
Such  being  the  case  it  is  not  only  her  duty  but  her 
interest  to  preserve  it.  The  general  laws  of  health 
as  regards  food,  sleep,  out-door  exercise  and  so  forth, 
cannot  be  disregarded  by  the  self-supporting  girl  with 
impunity.  It  is  worth  her  while,  in  particular,  to 
make  a  great  effort  to  provide  herself  with  proper 
food,  and  as  this  is  a  point  where  girls  are  apt  to  be 
singularly  neglectful  it  is  one  reason  why  they  fail 
in  health  so  much  sooner  than  boys.  If  the  working 
girl  lives  at  home  she  sometimes  has  to  contend  with 
some  of  the  difficulties  that  beset  the  school  girl,  but 
she  can  better  understand  the  importance  of  contend- 
ing with  them.  Too  often,  however,  the  working  girl 
who  supports  herself  lives  in  a  boarding  house,  where 
she  pays  a  great  deal  for  food  she  does  not  want  and 
goes  without  much  that  she  ought  to  have.  Some- 
times she  thinks  to  solve  this  difficulty  by  getting  her 
own  meals,  but  this  is  a  great  mistake,  for  it  is  a  tax 
upon  her  time  and  strength,  and  sooner  or  later  she 
will  almost  surely  yield  to  the  temptation  to  go  without 
food  just  when  she  needs  it  most.  With  many  young 
girls  fatigue  causes  a  distaste  for  food  instead  of  an 
appetite  for  it,  and  it  is  almost  too  much  to  expect  that 
a  girl  of  eighteen  or  twenty  will  have  sufficient  under- 
standing of  the  situation  and  enough  force  of  will 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  277 

to  prepare  food  for  herself  when  she  is  so  tired  that 
she  feels  almost  a  disgust  for  it. 

Sleep  is  fortunately  not  often  a  difficulty  at  the 
age  which  we  are  now  discussing,  but  the  girl  who  has 
only  one  little  room  in  which  to  spend  her  evenings  and 
also  to  sleep  must  be  very  careful  to  see  that  it  is 
ventilated  before  she  goes  to  bed.  Open  air  exercise 
ought  to  be  a  binding  duty  to  the  self-supporting  girl, 
just  as  much  as  her  daily  toilet,  and  unless  she  lives 
very  far  indeed  from  her  place  of  work  she  ought  to 
walk  at  least  one  way.  Her  natural  impulse  is  to  walk 
in  the  morning  when  she  feels  fresh  and  take  a  car  in 
the  afternoon  when  she  is  tired  with  the  day's  work, 
but  it  is  better  for  her  health  to  do  exactly  the  oppo- 
site, for  she  needs  the  active  exercise  in  the  open  air 
and  the  change  of  scene  when  she  has  been  all  day 
in  a  close,  over-heated  room. 

Amusement  of  some  kind  is  a  vital  necessity  in  the 
life  of  the  self-supporting  girl  especially  when  she  be- 
gins as  early  as  eighteen  or  twenty  or  even  younger. 
No  girl  as  young  as  this  ought  to  be  thrown  into  the 
world  to  live  with  strangers,  but  as  things  are  at  pres- 
ent it  is  often  unavoidable  and  the  best  thing  that  can 
be  done  for  her  is  to  guard  her  as  well  as  pos- 
sible. It  is  a  great  thing  for  such  a  girl  if 
she  is  fond  of  reading,  though  she  will  hardly 
ever  want  anything  more  of  a  book  than  that  it  should 
be  sufficiently  entertaining  to  relieve  her  weariness 


278  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

Anyone  who  is  interested  in  a  young  girl  at  this  time 
in  her  life  and  under  these  conditions  can  do  nothing 
kinder  for  her  than  teach  her  to  like  good  fiction  and 
otherwise  train  her  taste  in  reading.  I  do  not  mean 
making  an  attempt  to  elevate  her  intellectually  by  giv- 
ing her  Pater  and  Emerson,  but  introducing  her  to 
good  novels,  taking  the  most  exciting  first  and  so 
leading  up  to  others  with  more  robust  literary  merit. 
Nothing  can  be  worse  for  her  than  the  continual  read- 
ing of  the  inferior  kind  of  romance,  which  has  no  re- 
deeming quality  but  superficial  interest  and  excitement, 
for  in  the  long  run  it  will  enervate  her  mind  as  surely 
as  sitting  in  an  over-heated  room  will  exhaust  her 
bodily  vitality.  The  effect  of  an  older  and  more  culti- 
vated mind  upon  a  young  girl  in  this  respect  is  often 
very  great.  Indeed  this  is  only  one  of  many  ways  in 
which  an  older  woman  can  do  good  to  a  young  girl 
beginning  life  on  her  own  account,  and  such  a  girl  often 
stands  greatly  in  need  of  help,  though  she  herself  is 
probably  the  last  person  to  be  aware  of  it.  The  in- 
stinct for  friendship  with  members  of  her  own  sex 
somewhat  older  than  herself  is  characteristic  of  the 
age,  as  we  have  seen  before,  and  the  influence  of  a 
woman  of  the  right  kind  in  a  young  girl's  duties  and 
pleasures  is  one  of  the  best  things  life  can  bestow 
upon  her. 

A  girl  who  works  all  day  in  monotonous  surround- 
ings is  always  the  better  for  occasional  outside  amuse- 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  279 

ment,  for  it  takes  her  out  of  herself  in  a  way  nothing 
else  can  do.  If  she  likes  tennis,  or  golf,  or  gym- 
nasium exercise,  or  dancing,  it  is  worth  her  while  to 
take  some  trouble  to  enjoy  them  or  to  spend  a  little 
money  upon  them.  An  occasional  evening  at  the  thea- 
ter does  some  girls  more  good  than  anything  else. 
The  only  objection  to  the  latter  form  of  amusement  or 
to  any  other  public  entertainment  is  that  a  girl  usually 
goes  to  it  with  an  escort  of  the  other  sex,  and  while 
there  is  no  harm  in  her  doing  so  per  se,  a  great 
deal  of  harm  sometimes  grows  out  of  it.  Much 
care  ought  to  be  exercised  in  the  choice  of  an  escort 
and  also  in  a  girl's  own  conduct  while  with  him.  This 
is  the  age  when  the  possibility  of  a  real  love  affair  be- 
gins and  many  a  girl's  head  is  turned  by  the  suggestion 
of  such  a  thing. 

A  girl  will  do  well  to  remember  that  other  men  are 
better  judges  of  her  young  men  acquaintance  than 
she  can  be,  and  if  her  father  and  brothers  or,  if  she 
lives  away  from  home,  her  older  men  friends  or  rela- 
tives, tell  her  a  youth  is  not  a  suitable  companion  for 
her,  at  any  rate  at  public  places,  she  had  better  think 
twice  before  she  refuses  to  listen.  She  is  courting  dis- 
aster if  she  persists  in  keeping  up  an  acquaintance 
with  a  young  man  of  doubtful  character.  The  excuse 
sometimes  made  by  girls  for  maintaining  an  acquaint- 
ance or  even  intimacy  with  some  young  man  against 
whom  they  have  been  warned,  and  whom  they  them- 


28o  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

selves  admit  is  not  steady,  that  they  hope  to  influence 
him  for  his  own  good,  is  wholly  fallacious.  Such  in- 
fluence is  hardly  ever  successful,  and  when  it  is,  it 
must  come  from  an  older  or  else  a  married  woman, 
where  no  question  of  a  love  affair  can  arise.  When  a 
young  man  advances  this  argument  to  persuade  a 
young  girl  to  keep  up  an  intimacy  with  him  against 
her  judgment,  she  may  be  pretty  sure  he  is  using  it 
as  a  blind. 

Granting  that  the  escort  is  all  that  he  ought  to  be,  a 
girl  still  needs  to  be  very  careful  as  to  the  choice  of 
entertainments  to  which  she  accompanies  him,  as  well 
as  to  her  own  arrangements  in  doing  so.  If  she  re- 
spects herself,  she  will  not  go  to  see  any  play  with  a 
young  man  unless  she  knows  that  it  is  free  from  in- 
delicate situations  and  vulgar  language.  The  present 
fashion  of  plays  dealing  in  situations  of  a  more  or  less 
immoral  character  is  a  most  objectionable  one,  and  a 
girl  who  respects  herself  ought  never  to  go  with  a 
young  man  to  see  a  play  which  she  cannot  discuss  with 
him  afterward.  Dancing  with  men  at  public  enter- 
tainments is  another  point  where  a  girl  needs  to  be 
especially  careful,  and  she  should  never  dance  with 
anyone  of  whom  she  has  reason  to  disapprove,  even 
if  her  disapproval  has  no  farther  basis  than  lack  of 
refinement. 

Finally,  one  thing  that  the  self-respecting  girl  living 
alone  must  never  allow  herself  to  do,  is  to  invite  an 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  281 

escort  to  come  in  when  he  brings  her  home  after  some 
evening  entertainment.  Even  if  she  has  the  use  of  a 
sitting  room,  it  is  too  late  at  night  and  exposes  her  to 
comment  from  other  people  in  the  house,  while  if  she 
has  not  a  sitting  room  of  her  own,  she  should  never 
even  think  of  such  a  thing.  This  matter  of  the  recep- 
tion of  visitors  of  the  other  sex  is  one  of  the  reasons 
why  a  young  girl  of  eighteen  or  twenty  who  is  working 
for  herself,  ought  not  to  live  away  from  home,  or  at 
any  rate  from  relatives,  if  it  can  be  helped.  It  is  only 
right  that  she  should  like  to  have  companions  of  the 
other  sex;  it  is  the  natural  instinct  of  her  age,  but 
away  from  her  own  family  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
make  suitable  arrangements.  No  matter  how  dis- 
guised a  bedroom  may  be,  nor  how  long  her  acquaint- 
ance with  a  young  man  may  have  existed,  she  must 
consider  it  impossible  to  take  him  up  to  it,  and  she  may 
be  quite  sure  of  one  thing,  which  is  that  if  a  young 
man  is  what  he  ought  to  be,  he  will  respect  her  for 
being  careful,  even  if  she  carries  it  to  a  point  that 
other  girls  may  call  strait-laced. 

The  question  of  vacation  is  one  of  great  moment  to 
the  girl  who  works  hard  all  the  rest  of  the  year,  indeed 
it  is  often  the  event  of  it.  The  girl  who  teaches,  and 
has  a  long  holiday  of  three  to  four  months,  may  find 
it  possible  to  do  a  little  work  in  the  way  of  self -im- 
provement during  the  summer  holidays  but  no  one 
whose  holidays  are  less  than  a  month  ought  ever  to 


282  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

think  of  such  a  thing.  A  vacation  taken  alone  is 
rarely  good  for  any  girl  because  the  mind  is  not  suf- 
ficiently taken  out  of  itself.  When  a  girl  is  so  tired 
that  she  does  not  want  the  companionship  of  even 
one  congenial  friend  she  needs  to  spend  her  vacation  in 
a  sanitorium.  But  the  choice  of  a  companion  is  a 
serious  thing  and  one  in  which  it  behooves  a  girl  to 
exercise  great  discretion  and,  if  necessary,  self-asser- 
tion in  refusing  to  accept  an  undesirable  one. 

The  next  important  thing  in  a  vacation  is  not  to  take 
it  too  seriously.  This  is  the  time  of  life  when  girls 
take  themselves  seriously  in  everything,  and  not  a  few 
of  them  are  so  possessed  with  the  idea  that  they  must 
make  the  most  of  a  vacation,  that  they  take  it  so  hard 
as  to  neutralize  the  benefit  of  it.  The  idea  that 
physical  labor  is  a  rest  from  mental  labor  and  vice 
versa  is  true  up  to  a  certain  point,  but  each  kind  of 
labor  induces  fatigue  in  its  own  way,  and  when  a 
person  is  tired  out  with  mental  work  the  capacity 
for  physical  effort  is  lessened  to  a  certain  degree  as 
well. 

For  the  self-supporting  as  well  as  the  college  girl, 
and  in  fact  for  every  girl  who  follows  some  regular 
occupation,  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  there  is  reason 
for  precaution  at  regular  intervals  and  the  girl  who 
disregards  the  necessity  will  suffer  from  it  in  the  long 
run.  No  one,  of  course,  would  be  foolish  enough  to 
say  that  a  working  girl  ought  to  neglect  her  work  to 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  283 

take  care  of  herself,  and  there  is  no  reason  whatever 
that  a  healthy  girl  should  do  so.  All  that  she  needs  to 
remember,  as  I  have  said  in  more  detail  elsewhere,  is 
that  in  some  way  or  other  she  must  avoid  extra  claims 
upon  her  strength  so  as  to  "  slow  up  "  until  the  period 
is  over,  when  she  can  put  on  full  steam  again  until 
next  time. 

Any  consideration  of  the  daily  life  of  a  young  girl 
would  be  incomplete  without  some  words  upon  the 
subject  of  dress.  The  costume  of  a  girl  undergoes  a 
radical  change  when  she  passes  from  childhood  to  girl- 
hood and  one  that  is  not  in  all  respects  to  her  advan- 
tage. Up  to  the  age  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  she  wears 
loosely  fitting  garments  hanging  from  the  shoulders; 
then  she  assumes  the  regulation  woman's  costume 
which,  even  in  this  day  of  blouses  and  shirt-waists,  is 
more  or  less  tight-fitting  and  may  easily  become  too 
much  so,  especially  at  the  age  we  are  now  considering. 
It  is  the  fashion  at  present  to  inveigh  against  the  un- 
healthy nature  of  women's  clothing,  which,  according 
to  would-be  reformers,  has  every  fault  of  omission 
and  commission  that  can  exist,  but  the  results,  as  we 
see  them  before  us  in  the  women  who  wear  the  much 
abused  garments,  do  not  altogether  bear  out  the  accu- 
sations. 

The  present  custom  which  permits  a  girl  to  keep 
the  woven  undershirt  next  the  skin  which  she  wore  as 
a  child,  is  far  more  healthful  than  that  of  changing  it 


284  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

for  a  chemise,  which  used  to  be  considered  obligatory 
upon  young  girls.  The  chemise,  being  made  of  cot- 
ton or  linen,  soon  became  damp  and  sodden  from 
the  moisture  of  the  skin  which  it  could  not  absorb,  and 
as  both  linen  and  cotton  are  bad  conductors  of  heat, 
the  warmth  of  the  body  easily  escaped,  leading  to 
chilliness  and  making  it  easy  to  catch  cold. 

Whether  a  girl  wears  drawers  of  cotton  or  woolen 
is  a  point  to  be  determined  by  the  climate,  the 
health,  and  the  individual  preference.  The  long 
woven  drawers  reaching  to  the  ankle  and  tucked  inside 
the  stocking  that  little  girls  are  in  the  habit  of  wearing 
become  too  hot  in  the  house  as  soon  as  skirts  become 
longer  and  extend  to  the  shoe  tops  or  farther.  Yet 
they  cannot  be  taken  off  in  the  house  and  put  on  again 
to  go  out  without  some  trouble  and  it  seems  as  if  the 
best  solution  of  the  difficulty  is  to  wear  short  cotton 
drawers  and  put  silk  or  woolen  tights  over  them  when 
a  girl  goes  out  in  cold  weather. 

The  most  important  question  in  the  clothing  of 
young  girls  is  the  much  vexed  one  of  corsets.  Of  all 
the  articles  of  women's  attire  that  have  at  different 
times  been  abused  and  reviled,  nothing  has  suffered  so 
much  at  the  hands  of  dress  reformers  as  corsets.  It 
is  even  reported  that  Hippocrates,  who  died  in  361 
B.  C,  vigorously  reproached  the  ladies  of  Cos  for  too 
tightly  constructing  their  ribs  and  thus  interfering 
with  their  breathing  power.  But  before  condemning 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  285 

the  corset  in  toto,  it  may  do  no  harm  to  inquire  ex- 
actly what  is  the  harm  done  by  it. 

The  ribs,  as  well  as  other  bones  in  the  body,  are 
still  more  or  less  cartilagineous  in  girlhood  and  the 
shape  of  them,  especially  the  five  lowest,  commonly 
called  the  false  ribs,  can  be  easily  changed  by  pres- 
sure. The  shape  of  the  upper  ribs  also  can  be 
changed  by  constriction,  but  only  when  it  is  extreme. 
If  a  corset  is  laced  too  tightly,  the  position  of  the  false 
ribs  will  be  altered,  at  first  only  for  the  moment,  but 
ultimately  in  permanent  form,  and  the  organs  within 
the  chest  cavity  also  may  be  injured  or  displaced.  It 
does  not  follow,  however,  that  because  a  corset  is 
worn  the  pressure  caused  by  it  is  excessive  and  it  is 
curious  that  people  who  preach  against  tight  lacing 
should  never  acknowledge  any  medium  between  ex- 
tremely tight  corsets  and  no  corsets  at  all.  They  as- 
sume as  a  matter  of  course  that  if  a  corset  is  worn  it 
must  be  laced  too  tightly. 

If  we  look  at  the  matter  dispassionately  we  shall 
find  the  real  state  of  the  case  to  be  this:  A  corset 
which  is  laced  tightly  enough  to  compress  the  ribs  will 
change  their  shape,  beside  injuring  the  internal  organs, 
in  a  woman  of  any  age,  and  with  a  girl  of  fourteen 
or  fifteen,  whose  bones  are  not  hardened,  the  injury  is 
caused  easily  with  a  comparatively  slight  amount  of 
constriction,  just  as  a  faulty  posture  habitually  as- 
sumed by  a  young  girl  will  result  in  curvature  of  the 
20 


286  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

spines  though  the  same  posture  in  an  older  woman 
will  very  likely  do  no  harm  at  all.  But  the  corset's 
power  for  evil  lies  in  the  way  it  is  manipulated,  not  in 
itself;  there  is  no  reason  why  a  properly  fitting  corset, 
which  is  never  drawn  tighter  than  the  natural  size  of 
the  waist,  should  do  any  harm  whatever. 

The  practical  upshot  of  these  facts  is  that  it  is  not 
desirable  for  a  girl  to  wear  corsets  before  she  is 
eighteen,  for  earlier  than  this  her  bones  are  incom- 
pletely hardened  and  therefore  easily  distorted. 
When  a  girl  of  that  age  is  thin  and  slender  she  does 
not  need  a  corset,  and  can  very  well  wait;  if  she  is 
stout  and  clumsy,  the  corset  will  present  a  temptation 
to  tight  lacing  that  the  discretion  of  a  young  girl,  an- 
noyed perhaps  by  the  ungrace  fulness  of  her  figure, 
may  not  be  strong  enough  to  resist,  and  it  is 
wiser  not  to  expose  her  to  it.  In  fact  the  girl  who, 
in  the  common  phrase,  "  needs  corsets  early  "  is  just 
the  girl  who  ought  to  wait.  It  is  hard  upon  her,  no 
doubt,  but  her  health  is  more  important  than  her 
figure.  The  practice  adopted  by  some  fashionable 
mothers  of  deliberately  putting  corsets  upon  a  very 
young  girl  in  order,  as  they  say,  to  form  her  figure, 
cannot  be  too  strongly  condemned.  The  only  way  in 
which  the  figure  can  be  what  they  call  "  formed  "  is 
by  changing  the  shape  of  the  ribs,  and  this  can  only 
be  effected  by  undue  compression.  The  harm  done 
in  this  way  is  often  considerable  and  so  far  as  this  cus- 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  287 

torn  is  concerned  the  people  who  declaim  against  cor- 
sets are  justified  in  their  indictment. 

It  is  sometimes  asserted  that  the  only  thing  to  be  said 
about  a  corset  that  is  not  too  tight  is  that  it  is  useless, 
but  this  is  a  senseless  remark.  Even  when  the  corset 
is  perfectly  loose  and  exerts  no  pressure  whatever,  it 
gives  a  shape,  without  which  a  woman's  figure,  to  our 
eyes,  looks  slovenly  and  ungraceful.  Of  course,  the 
dress  reformers  maintain  that  our  taste  to-day  is  per- 
verted, and  that  we  ought  to  admire  the  human  figure 
as  we  see  it  in  the  ancient  statues,  but  these  good  peo- 
ple never  seem  aware  that  the  human  figure  to-day  is 
precisely  the  same  as  it  was  in  the  times  these  statues 
were  produced.  The  difference  between  them  is  en- 
tirely a  question  of  clothes,  which  it  is  now  customary 
to  wear,  and  to  which  our  eye  is  so  accustomed  that  we 
think  of  the  figure  only  as  it  appears  in  them.  The 
only  fair  comparison  between  the  Venus  of  Milo  and 
the  twentieth  century  woman  would  be  one  in  which 
both  were  dressed  or  undressed,  and  if  this  could  be 
done  it  would  be  seen  that  there  is  no  difference  (un- 
less in  some  exceptional  case)  between  them.  The 
whole  question  of  corsets  and  tight  lacing  needs  to  be 
revised  in  a  saner  and  more  reasonable  light  and 
those  who  realize  the  necessity  for  this  will  find  satis- 
faction in  the  remark  of  the  great  English  surgeon, 
Sir  Frederick  Treves,  that  "  in  dealing  with  this  mat- 
ter there  would  appear  to  be  a  tendency  to  reckless  ex- 


288  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

aggeration  and  sweeping  assertion,  as  well  as  a  dispo- 
sition to  treat  the  subject  with  an  explosive  and  hys- 
terical vigor." 

The  manner  of  dressing  the  feet  is  of  great  im- 
portance to  comfort  and  health.  Here  again  we  find 
a  tendency  to  improved  customs,  for  within  recent 
years  fashion  has  taken  a  sudden  inclination  to  side 
with  comfort  and  health.  The  fashionable  shoe  of  a 
generation  ago  is  still  admired  and  affected  by  a  few 
girls,  but  the  majority  of  them  like  to  boast  that  they 
wear  shoes  as  large  and  heavy  as  their  brothers.  So 
long  as  they  are  not  so  heavy  as  to  be  rigid  this  is 
a  good  thing.  A  low  heel  is  much  better  than  no  heel 
at  all,  but  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  quarter  is  all  it 
should  ever  measure  on  a  walking  shoe.  The  high 
heel  that  used  to  be  badge  of  fashion  is  still  worn  to 
some  extent  and  strange  to  say  it  is  more  affected  by 
the  working  girl  than  by  her  wealthier  and  fashion- 
able sister.  It  is  always  a  great  evil,  for  it  induces 
a  false  position  of  the  whole  body  by  lifting  up  the 
heel  of  the  foot  and  throwing  the  body  forward,  as  if 
the  individual  were  walking  on  tiptoe.  When  these 
high  heels  are  used  on  slippers,  in  which  no  walking 
of  any  extent  is  done,  they  do  no  harm,  but  for  any 
other  purpose  they  are  as  injurious  as  anything  can 
possibly  be,  especially  if  they  run  too  far  under  the 
middle  of  the  foot,  as  they  often  do,  thus  altering  the 
whole  balance  of  the  body. 


LIFE  ON  LEAVING  SCHOOL  289 

Garters  of  any  kind,  whether  above  or  below  the 
knee,  are  an  objectionable  feature  in  a  girl's  clothing. 
They  are  almost  sure  to  arrest  the  circulation  and 
cause  cold  feet,  to  say  nothing  of  possible  varicose 
veins.  There  are  various  ways  of  keeping  up  stock- 
ings by  supports  attached  to  the  clothes,  the  latest  de- 
vice being  straps  fastened  to  the  corset  or  corset  waist. 
These  would  seem  most  desirable,  but  some  people 
complain  that  they  cause  pain  in  the  muscles  of  the 
calf. 


CHAPTER  XI 

MINOR  AILMENTS 

Headache  —  Constipation  —  Diarrhea  —  Indigestion  —  Colds 
—  Over- fatigue  —  Dangers  in  popular  remedies. 

OF  all  the  minor  ailments  to  which  girls  are  subject, 
headache  is  the  most  common.  It  usually  makes  its 
appearance  at  puberty  and  sometimes  the  tendency  to 
it  passes  away  in  a  few  years,  with  other  disturbances 
characteristic  of  the  period;  in  other  cases  the  head- 
aches recur  more  or  less  frequently  through  life.  The 
occasional  recurrence  of  headache  of  no  great  severity, 
is  not  a  matter  for  uneasiness,  but  whenever  a  girl  has 
frequent  headaches,  some  attention  should  be  paid  to 
them,  for  they  usually  indicate  something  amiss.  If 
the  girl  seems  to  be  well,  except  while  actually  suffer- 
ing with  the  headache,  it  is  best  for  her  to  consult  an 
oculist  at  once,  no  matter  whether  she  complains  of 
her  eyes  or  not.  Every  year  adds  to  the  number  of 
young  people  who  are  discovered  to  be  suffering  from 
headache  due  to  defective  eyesight  and  are  relieved  by 
proper  glasses,  and  not  a  few  of  these  girls  had  no 
symptoms  whatever  directly  associated  with  the  eyes. 

290 


MINOR  AILMENTS  291 

It  must  never  be  forgotten  that  even  if  a  girl's  eyes 
have  already  been  examined  and,  perhaps,  fitted  with 
glasses,  they  may  still  be  the  cause  of  headaches  which 
have  begun  since  the  oculist  was  consulted,  for  defects 
of  the  eyes  are  especially  likely  to  develop  or  to  in- 
crease just  at  this  age. 

But  if  the  girl  with  headaches  is  pale,  languid,  and 
generally  out  of  sorts,  the  family  doctor  had  better  be 
consulted  immediately  and  a  specialist  later,  if  it  seems 
advisable.  Poverty  of  the  blood,  which  is  one  of  the 
physical  disturbances  occasionally  present  at  this  age, 
is  a  cause  of  headache,  and  so  is  indigestion,  but  in 
girls  of  this  age  headache  proceeds  from  constipation 
rrfore  often  than  from  anything  else,  except  the  eyes. 
All  of  these  troubles  a  physician  will  find  means  to 
relieve.  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  let  a  girl  go  on  suffer- 
ing from  headaches,  without  taking  measures  for  her 
relief. 

Many  girls  suffer  more  or  less  from  headache  at  the 
monthly  periods  and  with  some  of  them  the  pain  in 
the  head  is  more  marked  than  the  customary  pelvic 
pain.  The  idea,  held  by  some  persons,  that  pain  in 
menstruation  is  only  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  organs 
concerned  is  entirely  a  mistake.  It  has  been  already 
explained  that  suffering  of  any  kind  at  the  period  is 
a  manifestation  of  nervous  disturbance  and  the  dis- 
turbance may  express  itself  in  headache,  as  well  as  in 
the  organs  immediately  concerned.  Neither  headache 


292  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

nor  pelvic  pain  necessarily  indicates  disease  or  dis- 
placement, but  they  both  emphasize  the  necessity  for 
care  of  the  nervous  system  by  means  of  rest  and  re- 
laxation. 

Everyone  with  a  headache  is  anxious  for  immediate 
relief,  and  there  are  innumerable  headache  remedies, 
but  it  is  a  great  risk  to  take  any  one  of  them  unless 
its  use  has  been  sanctioned  by  a  physician.  The 
reasons  for  this  caution  are  given  at  the  close  of  this 
chapter.  Bromide  of  potash  is  almost  the  only  drug 
that  it  is  safe  to  take  without  medical  advice;  this  may 
be  tried  in  powders  of  twenty  grains  each,  dissolved  in 
water,  and  in  some  kinds  of  headache  it  will  give  great 
relief.  In  all  headaches  one  of  two  conditions  is  pres- 
ent: the  blood  flow  to  the  brain  is  increased  or  else  it 
is  lessened.  If  it  is  increased,  the  blood  vessels  in  the 
brain  are  congested,  the  face  is  flushed,  and  there  is 
a  throbbing  sensation  in  the  head.  With  a  headache 
of  this  kind  an  ice  cap  on  the  top  of  the  head  or  at 
the  base  of  the  skull  often  gives  relief;  so  does  a  mus- 
tard plaster  over  the  back  of  the  neck,  or  some  chloro- 
form and  aconite  liniment  on  a  piece  of  flannel  held 
over  the  same  place.  If  the  feet  are  cold,  as  they 
often  are,  they  should  have  a  hot  water  bag  or  some 
substitute  for  it  applied  to  them.  This  is  the  form 
of  headache  in  which  bromide  of  potash,  which  re- 
duces the  activity  of  the  circulation  in  the  brain,  does 
most  good. 


MINOR  AILMENTS  293 

When,  on  the  other  hand,  the  circulation  in  the 
brain  is  lessened,  the  face  is  pale  with  an  anxious 
expression,  and  there  is  a  tendency  to  chilliness,  with 
more  or  less  exhaustion.  In  headaches  of  this  kind 
the  subject  needs  as  much  warmth  and  rest  as  possible 
and  she  should  be  warmly  covered  up  and  kept  quiet. 
It  is  always  well  to  find  out  how  long  it  is  since  she 
has  had  something  to  eat,  for  it  may  be  that  faintness 
from  lack  of  food  is  a  factor  in  the  pain.  In  such 
case$  there  is  generally  no  appetite  and  there  may  be 
an  aversion  to  food,  but  some  light  nourishment,  such 
as  soup,  beef-tea,  a  glass  of  hot  milk,  will  often  work 
wonders.  A  cup  of  tea  or  coffee  also  frequently 
gives  relief,  especially  if  the  patient  is  not  in  the  habit 
of  taking  it.  In  this  kind  of  headache  some  people 
get  a  great  deal  of  relief  from  having  the  head 
brushed  slowly  and  gently  with  a  stiff  brush;  others 
cannot  bear  anything  of  the  kind.  In  all  cases  rest 
and,  if  possible,  sleep  are  the  important  things.  This 
sort  of  headache,  if  it  happens  often,  shows  that  the 
subject  of  it  is  not  in  vigorous  health  and  that  her 
general  condition  requires  attention. 

One  particular  form  of  headache  requires  a  special 
word,  and  that  is  the  kind  commonly  known  as  sick 
headache  and  technically  as  migraine.  This  sort  of 
headache  is  quite  a  different  thing  from  the  headache 
accompanied  with  nausea  and  vomiting,  which  goes 
with  an  attack  of  acute  indigestion.  In  the  latter  case 


294  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

the  headache  and  nausea  are  simply  accompaniments 
of  the  indigestion  and  disappear  with  its  relief;  but  in 
sick  headache  they  are  manifestation  of  some  under- 
lying condition  that  we  do  not  yet  understand.  Some 
authorities  believe  that  sick  headaches  are  a  special 
nervous  manifestation;  others  think  they  are  a  form 
of  constitutional  gout,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that 
gout  is  associated  with  them  in  some  cases. 

Sick  headaches  are  rarely  present  in  children;  they 
usually  begin  at  puberty  when  other  phases  of  nervous 
disturbance  are  present.  With  girls  they  are  apt  to 
occur  with  the  regular  periods,  and  in  some  cases  they 
do  not  appear  at  any  other  time.  In  these  instances 
the  patient  and  her  relatives  are  always  prone  to  think 
there  must  be  some  local  disease  which  accounts  for 
them  and  that  the  headaches  will  disappear  if  this  is 
cured.  But  the  fact  that  men  have  these  headaches  as 
well  as  women,  shows  that  they  can  have  no  direct 
connection  with  the  organs  concerned  in  menstruation ; 
furthermore,  in  some  cases  when  disease  or  displace- 
ment of  these  organs  has  been  discovered  and  rem- 
edied, the  headaches  have  not  been  in  the  least  bene- 
fited. There  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  appear  at  the 
periods  only  because  the  nervous  system  is  more  sus- 
ceptible at  such  times  than  at  others. 

Such  headaches  usually  begin  early  in  the  morning, 
and  people  who  are  subject  to  them  often  find  that 
they  are  preceded  by  peculiarly  heavy,  deep  sleep.  As 


MINOR  AILMENTS  295 

soon  as  the  subject  of  the  headache  gets  up,  she 
feels  giddy  and  often  she  sees  spots  dancing  before 
her  eyes  or  experiences  a  sensation  of  dazzling  light. 
The  pain  is  almost  always  confined  to  one  side  of  the 
head,  and  the  face  on  the  affected  side  is  either  deeply 
flushed  or  deadly  pale.  There  may  be  nausea  from 
the  first,  or  it  may  not  come  on  for  an  hour  or  two. 
After  it  does  begin  it  soon  turns  to  violent  vomiting, 
which  does  not,  however,  bring  relief  as  in  ordinary 
indigestion.  The  attacks  of  vomiting  and  retching 
succeed  each  other  at  short  intervals  for  about  five 
or  six  hours,  during  which  the  pain  is  very  severe  and 
sometimes  really  agonizing.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
the  vomiting  ceases,  the  pain  gradually  lessens  and, 
in  the  case  of  a  young  girl  in  good  health,  recovery 
is  astonishingly  rapid.  By  the  evening  she  will  feel 
almost  well  again  and  be  ravenously  hungry,  while 
the  next  morning  she  will  get  up  as  well  as  ever. 
Later  in  life,  or  when  there  is  some  delicacy  of  con- 
stitution, recovery  may  be  a  matter  of  several  days. 
Everything  about  these  headaches  goes  to  show  that 
they  are  nerve  storms  in  which  for  some  reason  gastric 
disorder  is  present,  but  we  do  not  yet  know  whether 
the  cause  of  them  lies  in  the  nervous  system  itself 
or  in  some  constitutional  condition  which  affects  it. 
Such  a  headache  as  has  been  just  described  is  typical ; 
not  all  of  them  are  so  severe  and  the  patient  may  be 
able  under  strong  necessity  to  get  about.  A  really 


296  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

well-marked  attack,  however,  is  absolutely  prostrating. 
One  peculiar  feature  of  many  sick  headaches  is  over- 
powering drowsiness,  probably  arising  from  some  dis- 
turbance of  the  circulation  of  the  brain.  In  some 
cases  this  is  so  excessive  that  it  will  overcome  the 
severity  of  the  pain  and  the  patient  will  sleep  heavily 
between  the  attacks  of  vomiting. 

It  is  useless  to  give  any  internal  remedies  for  a 
well-marked  sick  headache,  for  the  stomach  cannot 
retain  them.  In  the  less  severe  cases  a  cup  of  hot 
coffee,  taken  in  the  very  beginning  of  the  attack,  be- 
fore the  nausea  has  become  established,  sometimes 
gives  relief,  as  well  as  a  mustard  plaster  over  the  back 
of  the  neck,  and  another  over  the  stomach,  but  in  a 
case  of  even  moderate  severity  there  is  nothing  to  be 
done  but  to  keep  the  patient  quiet  in  a  darkened  room 
and  make  her  as  comfortable  as  possible.  In  unusu- 
ally severe  cases,  or  under  special  circumstances,  it 
may  be  necessary  to  send  for  the  doctor  and  let  him 
give  a  hypodermic  injection  of  morphin,  but  neither 
the  patient  nor  her  family  should  ever  be  allowed  to 
keep  the  hypodermic  syringe  and  use  it  themselves. 
Many  cases  of  the  opium  habit  have  been  formed  in 
exactly  this  way,  and  no  one  is  justified  in  thinking 
themselves  equal  to  the  temptation. 

But,  although  nothing  can  be  done  to  relieve  these 
headaches,  a  great  deal  is  possible  in  the  way  of  re- 
ducing their  frequency  and  severity,  and  girls  who  are 


MINOR  AILMENTS  297 

subject  to  them  can  do  more  for  themselves  than  any- 
one can  do  for  them.  Attention  to  all  the  laws  of 
health,  avoidance  of  over-fatigue  and  excitement,  early 
hours,  plenty  of  sleep,  and  especially  attention  to  the 
bowels  will  do  a  great  deal  to  hold  them  in  check. 
In  some  cases  the  relief  of  habitual  constipation  has 
been  followed  by  almost  entire  freedom  from  this  kind 
of  headache.  When  the  headaches  are  associated  with 
a  gouty  or  rheumatic  tendency,  it  manifests  itself  by 
shooting  pains  in  the  joints  with  soreness  just  be- 
fore the  attack  of  headache,  and  if  this  fact  is  men- 
tioned to  a  doctor,  he  can  often  improve  the  head- 
aches by  treatment  appropriate  to  the  underlying  trou- 
ble. When  these  headaches  continue  after  the  period 
of  puberty  is  passed,  they  can  rarely  be  entirely  cured, 
yet  by  a  properly  regulated  life  and  great  attention  to 
the  laws  of  health  they  are  often  so  controlled  that 
they  occur  only  at  intervals  of  years. 

One  of  the  most  frequent  causes  of  headaches,  as 
well  as  of  many  other  disturbances  of  health  is  con- 
stipation. In  fact,  though  headache  from  various 
sources  may  be  the  most  frequent  of  all  minor  ail- 
ments among  women,  if  we  consider  the  two  sexes 
together  we  shall  find  that  constipation  will  prove  the 
commonest  of  all.  To  realize  all  the  varieties  of 
harm  that  may  arise  from  constipation,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  understand  the  conditions  associated  with  it, 
but  this  is  exactly  what  many  people  do  not.  A  cer- 


298  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

tain  amount  of  waste  product  is  produced  each  day  in 
the  action  of  the  various  bodily  processes  and  this 
waste  material  must  be  removed  from  the  body  each 
day  by  the  process  known  as  excretion,  performed  by 
the  intestines,  the  kidneys,  and  the  skin.  The  work 
done  by  the  skin  and  the  kidneys  is  not  directly  un- 
der our  control,  though  we  can  influence  it  indirectly 
by  means  of  exercise,  daily  baths  followed  by  friction, 
and  drinking  a  liberal  amount  of  water.  But  excre- 
tion from  the  intestines,  to  a  certain  extent  at  any 
rate,  is  a  voluntary  action,  which  can  be  performed  or 
not  as  we  please.  As  the  food  mass  passes  down  the 
digestive  tract,  such  parts  of  it  as  are  capable  of 
nourishing  the  body  are  digested  and  absorbed,  while 
the  remainder,  which  consists  of  various  kinds  of  ma- 
terial unavailable  for  nourishment,  is  excreted  from 
the  end  of  the  large  intestine.  This  refuse  material, 
technically  known  as  feces,  is  composed  of  the  waste 
products  formed  in  the  different  bodily  processes,  the 
indigestible  parts  of  the  food,  such  as  husks,  seeds, 
stones,  and  any  odds  and  ends  of  food  that  have 
escaped  digestion.  It  passes  on  downward,  assisted 
by  the  movements  of  the  delicate  muscles  in  the  coats 
of  the  intestines,  and  prevented  from  moving  back 
by  valves  formed  by  folds  of  the  lining  mucous  mem- 
brane until  it  reaches  the  last  division  of  the  large 
intestine  called  the  rectum. 

When   a   sufficient   amount  has  collected  there,   it 


MINOR  AILMENTS  299 

stimulates  the  mucous  lining  and  excites  a  desire  for 
evacuation.  If  this  impulse  is  resisted,  the  mass  of 
feces  either  returns  to  the  upper  bowel  or  else  ac- 
cumulates in  the  rectum,  and  after  a  little  while  blunts 
the  sensibility  of  the  lining,  so  that  the  desire  to  empty 
the  bowels  is  no  longer  felt,  no  matter  how  full  the 
rectum  may  be.  Unless  this  state  of  things  is  speed- 
ily relieved,  the  waste  products  are  re-absorbed  into 
the  blood  and  act  as  poisons  to  all  parts  of  the  body 
to  which  they  are  carried.  Indigestion,  loss  of  appe- 
tite, headache,  and  all  manner  of  physical  evils  result 
from  the  slow  poisoning  due  to  re-absorption  of  waste 
products  that  nature  intended  should  be  expelled.  The 
complexion  in  many  cases  is  often  markedly  affected, 
and  many  of  the  skin  troubles  that  distress  young  girls 
so  terribly  are  due  entirely  to  a  loaded  condition  of 
the  bowels. 

This  poisoning  process  affects  not  only  the  body 
but  the  mind,  mental  depression  and  irritability  of 
temper  are  frequent  consequences  and  the  relief  of 
the  over-loaded  bowel  is  followed  by  astonishing  re- 
sults in  directions  which  no  one  had  thought  of  con- 
necting with  deficient  excretion.  A  certain  story, 
which,  if  old  is  still  good,  relates  that  a  famous  Scotch 
minister  was  once  sent  for  late  at  night  to  see  one 
of  his  parishioners,  a  wealthy  and  prosperous  lady, 
who  was  in  terrible  anxiety  as  to  the  condition  of  her 
soul,  which  she  believed  was  doomed  to  damnation 


300  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

beyond  a  peradventure.  The  old  minister  came,  but 
after  hearing  the  lady's  outpourings  of  distress  and 
anxiety,  he  turned  to  her  maid  who  stood  by  and 
asked :  "  How  long  is  it  since  her  leddyship's  bowels 
were  opened."  The  event  proved  that  his  suspicion 
was  a  shrewd  one,  for  after  the  administration  of  a 
purgative  all  the  religious  doubts  and  difficulties  dis- 
appeared like  smoke. 

To  empty  the  bowels  at  regular  intervals  is  of  vital 
importance  to  health,  and  is,  therefore,  a  duty  in- 
cumbent upon  everyone.  The  point  is  of  especial  im- 
portance to  girls,  because  constipation  is  a  fruitful 
source  of  dysmenorrhea.  Once  in  every  twenty- four 
hours  the  rectum  should  be  emptied,  but  unfortunately 
girls  and  young  women  are  extremely  careless  in  this 
respect,  for  many  of  them  pay  no  attention  to  the 
condition  of  the  bowels  until  they  are  forced  to  do  so 
by  their  own  discomfort,  thinking,  apparently,  that 
discomfort  is  the  only  reason  for  doing  so.  The  rule 
ought  to  be  made  early  in  life  that  a  daily  action  is 
a  moral  duty  and  the  various  measures  by  which  the 
habit  can  be  formed  and  maintained  ought  to  be  care- 
fully considered.  This  habit  of  daily  action  ought  to 
be  acquired  in  childhood,  but  unfortunately,  not  all 
parents  train  their  children  in  this  respect  as  they 
should  do,  and  it  often  happens  that  a  girl  finds  her- 
self under  the  necessity  of  establishing  the  habit  for 
herself.  She  may  take  comfort,  however,  in  the  re- 


MINOR  AILMENTS  301 

flection  that  a  persevering  and  determined  effort  in 
the  right  direction  will  always  be  successful  in  the  end. 

In  order  to  establish  the  proper  habit,  an  hour  for 
daily  evacuation  should  be  fixed  and  when  once  it  is 
settled  it  must  not  be  changed  for  any  reason  what- 
ever. The  time  of  day  that  is  chosen  is  not  a  matter 
of  importance,  the  essential  point  is  that  it  shall  not 
be  varied  when  once  it  is  adopted.  The  common  habit 
of  emptying  the  bowels  every  morning  directly  after 
breakfast  is  simply  a  matter  of  convenience;  there 
is  no  special  virtue  in  that  time  of  day,  and  if  it  is 
not  a  convenient  season,  some  other  hour  should  be  ap- 
pointed. Many  persons  find  the  hour  just  before  go- 
ing to  bed  a  good  one.  When  the  hour  is  settled  an 
attempt  at  evacuation  must  always  be  made  at  the  time 
fixed,  whether  it  is  successful  or  not,  and  if  it  fails 
the  desire  for  evacuation  later  in  the  day  must,  if  pos- 
sible, be  resisted.  The  regular  habit  will  never  be  ac- 
quired if  the  bowels  act  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing one  day  and  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the 
next. 

Very  few  people  realize  that  the  posture  usually 
assumed  when  emptying  the  bowels  is  a  faulty  one, 
for  in  it  the  action  of  the  abdominal  muscles  is  wrongly 
directed  and  consequently  their  full  force  is  not  ob- 
tained at  the  place  where  it  is  wanted.  The  squatting 
posture  instinctively  assumed  by  savages  and  by  young 

children  is  the  natural  one,  where  the  thighs  are  drawn 
21 


302  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

up  against  the  abdomen.  Unfortunately  the  plan  upon 
which  the  present  water-closet  seats  are  made  is  not 
suited  to  this  position,  but  the  defect  can  to  a  large 
extent  be  overcome  by  using  a  stool  of  such  a  height 
as  to  bring  the  feet  up  to  the  proper  distance  from 
the  seat. 

Next  to  habit,  food  is  the  most  efficacious  means  of 
keeping  the  bowels  in  order.  A  mixed  diet  contain- 
ing all  kinds  of  food  is  best  for  this  purpose,  as  it  is 
for  others.  The  main  point  in  it,  however,  is  that 
it  shall  contain  a  certain  amount  of  indigestible  food, 
because  the  more  perfectly  a  food  is  digested  and  ab- 
sorbed, the  less  residue  is  left  to  pass  into  the  rectum 
and  excite  the  desire  for  evacuation.  Milk,  for  in- 
stance, which  is  an  almost  perfect  food  because  it  can 
be  completely  digested  and  absorbed,  leaves  no  residue 
whatever  to  pass  into  the  rectum.  The  foods  which 
are  best  for  the  regulation  of  the  bowels  are:  bread 
of  all  kinds,  especially  the  coarser  varieties,  such  as 
corn  bread,  rye  bread,  Graham  and  brown  bread ;  the 
various  cereals ;  fruits,  especially  those  that  have  seeds, 
whether  raw  or  cooked,  butter,  molasses,  honey;  and 
last,  but  not  least,  vegetables  which  contain  large 
quantities  of  an  indigestible  substance  called  cellulose. 
Potatoes  are  especially  valuable  in  the  relief  of  con- 
stipation, because  they  consist  largely  of  cellulose  and 
of  water.  Water  in  itself  is  an  excellent  thing  in  the 
regulation  of  the  bowels.  A  glass  on  rising  in  the 


MINOR  AILMENTS  303 

morning  often  helps  greatly  in  establishing  a  good 
habit  and  a  teaspoon ful  of  salt  in  it  often  makes  it 
more  efficacious.  Some  persons  prefer  it  hot  and 
others  like  it  better  cold. 

No  one  can  ever  hope  to  keep  the  bowels  in  good 
order  without  regular  bodily  exercise.  Girls  who 
lead  sedentary  lives  at  school  or  college  or  in  some 
occupation  for  self-support,  almost  always  suffer  from 
constipation,  for  the  abdominal  muscles  become  weak- 
ened from  want  of  exercise  and  this  interferes  with 
the  passage  of  food  downward.  Active  stimulating 
exercise  is  imperative,  and  if  a  girl  cannot  get  a  good 
long  walk  in  the  open  air  every  day,  she  ought  to  try 
some  kind  of  gymnastic  exercises  in  a  room  with  the 
windows  open,  so  as  to  come  as  near  the  fresh  air  as 
possible.  To  strengthen  the  abdominal  muscles  it  is 
a  good  plan  to  lie  down  flat  on  the  floor  (not  on  a 
bed)  with  all  the  clothing  perfectly  loose,  and  then 
raise  the  body  into  a  sitting  posture  by  means  of  the 
abdominal  muscles  without  the  help  of  the  hands. 
This  process,  if  it  is  repeated  a  good  many  times  and 
kept  up  for  some  weeks  or  even  months,  will  often 
accomplish  wonders. 

Under  normal  conditions  no  medicine  should  ever 
be  taken  to  induce  the  bowels  to  act  In  cases  of  tem- 
porary illness,  when  exercise  cannot  be  taken  and 
the  gastro-intestinal  tract  is  more  or  less  out  of  order, 
it  may  be  advisable  to  take  a  laxative,  but  not  in 


304  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

ordinary  health.  Enemata  are  not  so  objectionable  as 
medicine,  nevertheless  they  are  not  desirable,  except 
in  cases  of  special  urgency,  because  whenever  artifi- 
cial means  for  unloading  the  bowels  are  used,  there 
comes  a  tendency  to  depend  upon  them,  instead  of 
forming  a  habit.  A  great  deal  is  being  written  and 
said  at  the  present  moment  in  regard  to  overcoming 
constipation  by  means  of  suggestion  and  the  influence 
of  the  mind.  The  idea,  however,  is  an  old  one,  and 
physicians  have  always  tried  to  train  their  patients 
along  these  lines. 

The  opposite  trouble  to  constipation,  diarrhea,  or 
looseness  of  the  bowels,  is  of  less  frequent  occurrence. 
In  ordinary  cases,  it  arises  from  over-irritability  of 
the  muscular  or  the  mucous  coat  of  the  intestine,  and 
this  irritability  may  be  brought  on  in  several  different 
ways.  The  most  common  cause  of  irritability  of  the 
mucous  membrane  is  cold,  which  chills  the  surface 
of  the  body  and  drives  the  blood  back  to  the  internal 
organs,  setting  up  a  congestion  of  the  circulation  in 
the  intestinal  mucous  membrane,  resulting  in  a  slight 
inflammation  with  increased  secretion  that  causes 
diarrhea.  Irritability  of  the  muscular  coat  arises,  in 
general,  from  over-sensitiveness  of  the  nerves  supply- 
ing it,  and  they  may  be  excited  by  almost  any  condi- 
tion that  affects  the  central  nervous  system.  Extreme 
nervousness  and  excitement  are  often  accompanied  by 
diarrhea  and  some  persons  cannot  pass  through  any 


MINOR  AILMENTS  305 

nervous  crisis  without  an  attack  of  it.  Still  another 
cause  of  diarrhea  is  the  presence  of  too  much  coarse 
food  in  the  intestines.  The  coarse  articles  of  food 
that  relieve  constipation  sometimes  excite  an  over-ac- 
tivity of  the  bowels  and  cause  diarrhea.  When  diar- 
rhea is  due  to  cold  or  to  nervous  excitement,  it  will 
subside  as  soon  as  the  cause  is  removed,  but  when  it 
conies  from  improper  food,  there  must  be  a  change 
of  diet.  In  such  a  case  as  this  it  is  necessary  to 
leave  off  all  fruit,  all  green  or  canned  vegetables,  as 
well  as  bread,  unless  it  is  toasted,  and  keep  for  a  few 
days  to  a  restricted  diet  consisting  of  lean  meat,  milk, 
crackers,  toast,  and  rice.  If  this  does  not  relieve  the 
trouble,  a  doctor  should  be  sent  for.  Sometimes  a 
violent  chill  or  some  peculiarly  improper  food  will 
cause  an  attack  of  violent  diarrhea,  known  as  cholera 
morbus,  in  which  the  patient  suffers  great  pain  in  the 
abdomen,  with  nausea  and  vomiting.  In  old  people 
or  delicate  people  these  attacks  are  sometimes  dan- 
gerous from  their  violence  and  the  sudden  exhaustion 
that  accompanies  them,  but  in  a  vigorous  young  girl 
there  is  no  cause  for  alarm.  A  doctor  should  be  sent 
for  at  once,  but  if  one  cannot  be  had  for  some  time, 
the  attack  can  usually  be  relieved  by  paregoric. 

Catching  cold  is  a  very  common  ailment  and  one 
that  varies  extremely  in  importance,  from  a  slight 
cold  in  the  head  to  a  severe  cold  on  the  chest  ending  in 
bronchitis.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  cold, 


306  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

whether  in  the  head  or  on  the  chest,  is  due  to  infection 
from  some  germ,  but  these  germs,  whatever  they  are, 
do  not  seem  to  act  without  some  exposure  that  gives 
them  a  favorable  opportunity  to  enter  and  develop. 
Exposure  to  cold  from  a  sudden  drop  in  the  tempera- 
ture or  from  getting  wet  chills  the  surface  of  the  body 
and  if  the  chill  is  not  followed  by  a  speedy  reaction, 
such  as  we  excite  after  a  cold  bath  by  means  of  brisk 
friction,  the  internal  mucous  membranes  will  get  into 
a  congested  condition  that  affords  a  favorable  soil  for 
the  reception  and  growth  of  bacteria,  which  are  always 
present  in  the  atmosphere. 

An  ordinary  cold  in  the  head  begins  in  the  back  of 
the  nose  and  the  upper  part  of  the  throat,  and  goes  no 
further  down,  but  if  the  infection  takes  a  strong  hold, 
it  will  spread  from  its  first  situation  and  extend  down 
the  throat  into  the  bronchial  tubes  leading  to  the  lungs, 
creating  more  or  less  inflammation,  and  causing  the 
so-called  "  chest  cold  "  which  is  really  a  mild  bron- 
chitis. In  severe  cases  the  inflammation  extends  into 
the  smaller  bronchial  tubes  and  then  we  have  an  at- 
tack of  bronchitis,  as  we  usually  understand  it,  ac- 
companied by  fever  and  other  symptoms  of  illness.  A 
slight  degree  of  fever  is  usually  present  with  any  cold, 
but  it  only  becomes  marked  when  the  inflammation 
has  extended  into  the  smaller  bronchial  tubes.  With 
delicate  persons  the  cold  will  sometimes  begin  in  the 
bronchial  tubes  without  going  through  the  preliminary 


MINOR  AILMENTS  307 

stage  in  the  head ;  and  when  it  does  so,  the  case  is  more 
serious.  The  usual  course  of  all  colds  is  first  a  stage 
of  dryness,  when  the  glands  in  the  mucous  membrane 
do  not  act  at  all,  and  then  another  when  the  inflamma- 
tion begins  to  clear  up  and  the  improvement  is  shown 
by  an  increased  secretion  from  the  mucous  glands. 
At  this  stage  the  cough,  set  up  by  the  irritation  of 
the  mucous  membrane,  becomes  loose,  and  there  is 
much  expectoration  of  the  increased  secretion. 

The  best  thing  to  do  for  a  cold  is  to  avoid  taking 
it.  A  great  deal  can  be  done  to  prevent  colds  by 
training  the  body  in  healthy  habits,  by  exercising  dis- 
cretion in  protection  against  chills,  and  by  avoiding 
coddling.  A  cold  bath  every  morning,  with  brisk  fric- 
tion after  it,  is  one  of  the  best  means  of  hardening  the 
body  against  chill.  A  woolen  garment  of  some  kind 
should  be  worn  next  the  skin,  and  abundance  of  warm 
outer  clothing  put  on  when  going  into  the  outside  air. 
So  long  as  these  essentials  are  observed,  there  need  be 
no  hesitation  about  going  out  in  all  weathers;  on  the 
contrary,  nothing  encourages  taking  cold  so  much  as 
shutting  oneself  up  in  the  house  for  fear  of  catching 
it.  Even  a  wetting  will  not  do  much  harm,  if  the  wet 
clothes  are  removed  at  once  and  the  body  rubbed  as 
it  is  after  a  bath.  Wet  clothes,  however,  and  wet 
shoes  and  stockings,  in  particular,  must  never  be  al- 
lowed to  dry  on  the  feet ;  the  chilliness  and  depression 
of  vitality  that  result  are  the  most  favorable  condi- 


308  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

tion  possible  for  the  invasion  of  the  infection.  Sleep- 
ing with  the  windows  open  is  another  preventive  of 
great  value.  The  germs  that  cause  infection  are 
present  in  the  air  of  houses  much  more  than  they  are 
out  of  doors,  and  the  more  careful  we  are  about  the 
sweeping,  dusting,  and  ventilation  of  our  houses,  the 
less  will  we  catch  cold.  Public  places,  in  especial,  are 
favorable  to  colds,  because  there  is  always  much  dust 
in  them. 

A  cold  having  once  been  taken,  there  are  various 
ways  of  treating  it.  Some  persons  find  a  good  sized 
dose  of  quinine  taken  at  the  outset  has  a  marked  effect 
in  breaking  it  up.  Others  find  that  spraying  the  nose 
with  an  antiseptic  solution  of  some  kind,  or  touching 
the  mucous  membrane  of  the  nose  with  a  medicated 
pencil  does  great  good.  Other  people  again  think 
nothing  so  sure  to  be  efficacious  as  a  Dover's  powder, 
provided  they  can  remain  in  bed  next  day,  since  the 
effect  of  the  opium  in  these  powders  is  to  make  the 
sweat  glands  act  profusely.  Unless  a  cold  is  broken 
up  at  the  very  beginning,  it  will  run  through  a  definite 
course,  the  length  of  which  varies  with  different  peo- 
ple, from  one  day  to  ten.  If  a  cold  lasts  longer  than 
two  weeks,  a  doctor  should  always  be  sent  for,  and  he 
should  be  sent  for  in  the  beginning,  if  the  condition 
seems  at  all  serious,  or  the  fever  is  high. 

Indigestion  is  a  word  that  covers  such  a  multitude 
of  conditions  that  it  is  difficult  to  discuss.  The  name 


MINOR  AILMENTS  309 

means  simply  want  of  digestion,  but  the  place  at  which 
the  digestive  process  is  wanting  in  activity  may  be  sit- 
uated anywhere  in  the  alimentary  tract.  The  three 
most  common  forms  of  indigestion,  from  the  point  of 
view  of  situation,  are:  gastric  indigestion,  where  the 
trouble  is  situated  in  the  stomach;  intestinal  indiges- 
tion, where  it  is  in  the  intestine;  and  derangement  of 
the  liver,  when  we  have  the  so-called  biliousness.  In 
gastric  indigestion  there  is  more  or  less  discomfort 
and  actual  pain  over  the  region  of  the  stomach,  that 
is  to  say,  at  about  the  waist  line,  and  a  little  above  it, 
accompanied,  it  may  be,  by  a  gnawing  sensation. 
Sometimes  there  is  constipation ;  sometimes  there  is  no 
disturbance  of  the  bowels  at  all.  In  intestinal  indi- 
gestion, the  pain,  if  there  is  any,  is  situated  in  the  ab- 
domen; sometimes  it  is  a  dull  soreness,  sometimes  it 
resembles  colic.  In  this  form  of  indigestion  there  is 
almost  always  diarrhea.  When  the  liver  is  out  of 
order,  there  may  be  a  dull  heavy  pain  beneath  the  right 
shoulder-blade,  and  there  is  always  more  or  less  head- 
ache, drowsiness,  and  sometimes  nausea.  The  bowels 
are  usually  constipated  and  the  actions  are  often  pale 
in  color,  or,  it  may  be,  quite  white.  In  all  forms  of 
indigestion,  the  appetite  may  be  more  or  less  im- 
paired, or  it  may  be  just  as  usual. 

It  is  not  well  to  take  medicine  for  indigestion  with- 
out a  doctor's  advice,  but  a  good  deal  can  be  done  to 
help  it  by  regulating  the  diet.  A  milk  diet  for  a  few 


310  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

days  often  does  good  in  all  forms  of  digestive  trou- 
ble. Intestinal  indigestion  is  the  most  serious  form 
and  unless  it  speedily  improves  a  doctor  should  be 
consulted.  When  the  liver  is  at  fault,  a  dose  of  cal- 
omel can  be  safely  tried,  in  powders  or  granules  of 
one-eighth  of  a  grain  each,  repeated  every  hour  or 
half -hour  until  eight  have  been  taken,  and  followed 
next  morning  by  some  sort  of  saline  laxative,  such 
as  a  seidlitz  powder,  a  glass  of  Apenta  water,  or  some 
Epsom  salts.  The  digestion  is  much  influenced  by 
the  nervous  system,  and  for  this  reason  it  is  often 
upset  at  the  regular  periods  in  young  girls.  There 
is  nothing  to  be  done  in  such  cases,  except  regulate  the 
diet  for  a  few  days,  but  it  is  well  to  understand  clearly 
why  digestive  disturbance  should  appear  at  these  times, 
in  order  that  no  anxiety  may  be  felt  concerning  them. 

Over-fatigue  in  any  marked  degree  is  not  by  any 
means  a  minor  ailment,  for  its  results  as  regards  the 
nervous  system  are  often  of  a  most  serious  nature. 
But  these  severe  manifestations  would  rarely  occur 
if  the  first  symptoms  of  over-fatigue  received  due  at- 
tention, and  it  is  these  early  indications  that  are  suited 
for  consideration  here. 

One  of  the  earliest  and  most  significant  signs  of 
over- fatigue  is  disturbed  sleep,  which  may  manifest 
itself  in  one  of  three  ways :  sleeplessness,  unquiet  sleep, 
and  undue  drowsiness.  The  first  of  the  three,  want 
of  sleep,  is  by  far  the  most  common.  A  girl  finds 


MINOR  AILMENTS  311 

Jhat  she  cannot  go  to  sleep  for  hours  after  she  goes 
to  bed  or  else  she  wakes  up  at  some  time  during  the 
night,  generally  towards  early  morning,  and  cannot 
get  to  sleep  again. 

There  are  other  girls  who,  when  they  are  over-tired, 
do  not  lose  any  part  of  their  night's  rest,  but  their 
sleep  is  so  restless,  uneasy,  and  troubled,  that  it  does 
not  refresh  them  in  the  least  and  they  get  up  in  the 
morning  quite  exhausted  and  feeling  as  if  they  had 
walked  over  a  ploughed  field.  In  still  another  class 
of  people,  especially  young  girls,  fatigue  shows  itself 
in  a  craving  for  more  than  the  usual  amount  of  sleep. 
Girls  of  this  type  find  it  gets  more  and  more  difficult 
to  get  up  at  their  usual  hour,  they  cannot  keep  awake 
until  their  usual  bedtime,  and  they  drop  asleep  at  odd 
moments  all  through  the  day.  Want  of  sleep  is  al- 
ways recognized  as  a  sign  of  over-fatigue,  which  is 
fortunate  since  it  is  the  most  serious  of  the  different 
forms  of  disturbance,  but  it  is  a  pity  that  the  other 
two  conditions  are  not  sufficiently  appreciated,  for  they 
too  contain  no  uncertain  note  of  warning. 

Another  sign  of  over-fatigue  is  a  feeling  of  effort, 
either  mental  or  physical,  out  of  all  proportion  to  what 
is  really  required.  In  bad  cases,  this  may  reach  such 
a  point  that  it  is  an  almost  impossible  effort  to  put  on 
one's  shoes  in  the  morning  or  to  decide  between  two 
books  to  be  taken  out  of  a  library.  The  milder  forms 
are  hardly  perceptible,  but  the  subject  herself  can  tell, 


312  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

if  she  allows  herself  to  notice,  that  she  has  a  feeling 
of  undue  exertion  in  regard  to  something  or  other. 
She  may  feel  it  only  at  the  end  of  the  day  when  she 
is  tired,  or  only  with  certain  special  duties,  but  it  is 
there.  Still  another  symptom  is  that  work  takes 
longer  than  it  ought  to  do,  or  has  ever  done  before. 
Inability  to  rest  when  the  time  comes  is  a  most  sig- 
nificant sign  of  over-fatigue.  Just  at  the  time  that 
fatigue  is  greatest  and  rest  is  most  important  it  will 
seem  to  the  fatigued  person  that  it  is  absolutely  im- 
possible for  her  to  put  the  work  aside,  or  if  she  forces 
herself  to  do  so,  she  cannot  take  her  thoughts  off 
it.  Then  it  may  be  that  the  next  day,  when  she  is 
rested,  she  will  suddenly  find  her  mind  again  under  her 
own  control.  The  condition  of  a  girl's  own  spirits  and 
temper  are  also  an  excellent  measure  of  fatigue.  If 
she  finds  herself  becoming  irritable  with  every  trifle, 
attaching  undue  importance  to  a  trifling  error,  or  im- 
agining fancied  slights  and  misunderstanding,  her  fa- 
tigue is  greater  than  it  ought  to  be,  whether  the  work 
is  too  heavy  or  not.  This  is  a  point  that  girls  need 
especially  to  remember,  namely,  that  the  standard  by 
which  fatigue  must  be  judged  is  the  condition  of  the 
individual  nervous  system,  not  the  amount  of  work 
done.  One  girl  can  do  with  ease  what  for  another  girl 
is  far  too  much ;  furthermore,  some  kinds  of  work  are 
more  fatiguing  to  each  individual  than  others  and 
distasteful  work  is  always  more  fatiguing  than  what 


MINOR  AILMENTS  313 

is  congenial.  The  only  real  test  is  the  condition  of  the 
nervous  system,  and  the  signs  by  which  its  condition 
may  be  recognized  are  those  just  given,  as  well  as 
others  of  less  importance,  for  which  there  is  no  space 
here.  Nature  gives  these  warnings  as  signals  of  dan- 
ger ahead,  in  order  that  the  worker  may  recognize  how 
much  her  nervous  system  is  being  affected  by  her 
work  and  protect  herself  from  injury.  If  she  disre- 
gards them,  she  does  so  at  her  own  risk. 

If  these  warnings  were  always  acted  upon  in  time, 
there  would  be  much  fewer  causes  of  nervous  pros- 
tration, to  say  nothing  of  other  affections  associated 
with  over-fatigue,  and  if  young  girls  just  beginning  to 
work  for  themselves,  will  only  be  wise  in  time,  the 
years,  as  they  go  by,  will  not  be  filled,  as  they  so 
often  are,  by  discouragement  and  pressure.  As  re- 
gards the  best  method  of  taking  precautions,  I  know 
of  no  place  where  such  excellent  advice  upon  the  sub- 
ject can  be  found  than  in  an  article  by  Dr.  Floyd 
M.  Crandall  in  the  World's  Work  for  February,  1903. 
The  paper  is  written  for  men,  but  it  contains  little  or 
nothing  that  is  not  as  appropriate  for  women,  and  the 
principal  points  are  so  much  better  expressed  by  him 
than  they  could  possibly  be  by  me,  that  I  shall  take 
the  liberty  of  quoting  a  few  on  which  he  lays  especial 
stress. 

"  Do  not  keep  too  many  irons  in  the  fire.  The 
watching  each  one  demands  additional  concentration 


314  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

and  adds  to  mental  loss.  .  .  .  Men  often  keep 
themselves  keyed  up  to  such  a  pitch  that  they  use  up 
as  much  vital  force  in  doing  routine  work  and  unim- 
portant details  as  in  negotiating  great  transactions. 
.  .  .  It  is  unwise  to  assume  so  much  business  that 
one  is  obliged  to  labor  up  to  the  full  extent  of  one's 
powers.  It  is  an  insane  captain  who  loads  his  vessel 
to  the  water  line  because  he  is  lying  in  a  quiet  harbor. 

.  .  Specialism  has  come  to  be  a  characteristic  of 
modern  life.  But  where  specialism  goes,  there  goes 
the  tendency  to  fall  into  a  rut,  and  a  rut  is  a  very  bad 
thing  to  fall  into.  .  .  .  To  keep  out  of  ruts  you 
must  begin  early  in  life.  Begin  by  reading  a  good 
daily  newspaper.  This  contains  a  general  education 
that  cannot  be  obtained  in  the  same  time  from  any 
other  source,  with  one  or  two  good  monthly  magazines 
as  well,  and  fiction,  history,  general  literature.  .  .  . 
Irregular  hours,  too  little  sleep,  and  faulty  diet  are 
the  factors  in  most  breakdowns.  ...  A  break- 
down is  by  no  means  a  necessary  result  of  our  intense 
modern  life.  There  is  more  to  provoke  it  than  there 
ever  was  before,  but  at  the  same  time  we  have  more 
means  at  our  hand  to  prevent  it,  if  we  will  utilize 
them." 

Before  concluding  the  subject  of  minor  ailments,  it 
seems  only  right  to  say  a  word  in  regard  to  the  risks 
that  attend  the  use  of  many  popular  remedies  sold  for 
their  relief.  I  have  already  spoken  of  the  danger  in 


MINOR  AILMENTS  315 

headache  remedies,  and  I  will  now  take  it  up  a  little 
more  in  detail.  These  remedies  owe  their  efficacy  in 
almost  all  cases  to  some  one  of  the  coal-tars,  a  class  of 
remedies  that  came  into  use  about  twenty-five  years 
ago.  At  first  they  were  welcomed  by  physicians,  who 
found  that  they  gave  greater  relief  to  pain  than  any- 
thing else  except  opium,  and  although  they  could  not 
take  the  place  of  opium  in  severe  suffering,  they  of- 
fered promise  of  relief  in  many  forms  of  moderate 
pain,  where  the  use  of  opium  is  not  usually  justifiable. 
But  it  soon  appeared  that  the  coal-tars  have  all  of 
them  a  tendency  to  depress  the  action  of  the  heart  and 
that  their  use  was  sometimes  followed  by  heart  fail- 
ure, which  fact  obliged  physicians  to  be  extremely  cau- 
tious in  prescribing  them.  Then,  as  they  became  more 
widely  known,  it  proved  that  many  people  possessed 
a  peculiar  susceptibility  to  them,  so  that  they  were 
made  ill  by  an  ordinary  dose  of  any  one  of  them. 
Idiosyncrasies  of  this  kind  are  met  with  in  all  med- 
icines, but  they  are  extremely  rare ;  the  peculiarity  with 
the  coal-tars  is  that  in  their  case  they  seem  to  be  quite 
common. 

There  are  a  great  number  of  these  coal-tars. 
Phenacetin  is  one,  antifebrin  is  another,  acetanilid  a 
third,  and  many  others,  whose  names  are  only  known 
to  persons  specially  concerned.  Almost  all  headache 
remedies  contain  some  one  of  these  coal-tars,  and 
those  more  commonly  known  can  be  purchased  un- 


316  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

combined  —  phenacetin,  for  example,  is  often  sold  for 
the  relief  of  headache,  and  is  used  everywhere  quite 
widely,  because  the  patent  on  it  has  recently  expired, 
and  it  is  cheap.  Now  it  is  plain  that  if  a  person  takes 
a  headache  remedy  containing  a  coal-tar,  the  ingredi- 
ents of  which  she  does  not  know,  and  should  happen 
to  have  an  idiosyncrasy  which  causes  it  to  depress  the 
heart  unduly,  she  will  certainly  suffer  from  it,  and 
may  do  so  very  seriously.  For  the  dose  of  the  coal- 
tar,  whichever  it  may  be,  contained  in  the  headache 
remedy  is  always  what  the  ordinary  person  is  sup- 
posed to  take.  A  physician  in  giving  the  same  thing 
would  begin  with  a  small  dose  and  watch  carefully  for 
possible  signs  of  harm,  but  when  it  is  contained  in  a 
patent  medicine,  there  is  no  such  safeguard. 

Another  danger  that  lurks  in  popular  remedies  is 
that  many  of  them  contain  opium  or  alcohol,  and  the 
risk  of  acquiring  the  drug  habit  in  this  way  is  known 
to  be  great.  Many  a  girl  who  takes  a  tonic  that  she 
believes  is  doing  her  a  great  deal  of  good,  feels  better 
only  from  the  stimulus  of  the  alcohol  or  the  opium, 
or  some  other  stimulant,  such  as  cocain,  that  it  con- 
tains, without  her  knowing  it.  Some  idea  of  the 
amount  of  alcohol  in  certain  patent  medicines  sold 
as  tonics  or  for  the  relief  of  pain  may  be  obtained 
from  the  percentages  found  on  their  analysis  by  the 
Massachusetts  State  Board  Analyst. 

Lydia  Pinkham's  Vegetable  Compound  contains  20.6 


MINOR  AILMENTS  317 

per  cent  of  alcohol;  Peruna  contains  28.5  per  cent; 
Paine's  Celery  Compound  21  per  cent;  and  Schenck's 
Sea-weed  Tonic,  advertised  explicitly  as  "  entirely 
harmless,"  contains  19.5  per  cent.  I  have  no  exact 
figures  such  as  these  in  the  case  of  opium,  but  it  is 
well  known  that  many  remedies,  especially  those  for 
the  relief  of  pain,  do  contain  some  form  of  it,  as  well 
as  cocain  or  caffein. 

The  new  pure  food  and  drug  law,  recently  passed, 
affords  a  certain  amount  of  protection  from  these 
medicines,  but  it  is  only  partial.  This  law  requires 
that  the  label  on  the  bottle  or  box  of  every  patent 
medicine  shall  state  distinctly  the  quantity  and  propor- 
tion, if  any,  of  alcohol,  morphin,  opium,  cocain,  and 
various  other  specified  drugs  or  their  derivatives  con- 
tained in  it.  But  many  people,  not  by  any  means 
ignorant,  do  not  know  the  meaning  of  the  names 
stated.  Very  few  of  the  coal-tars  in  the  headache 
remedies,  for  instance,  would  be  recognized,  even  if 
the  risks  of  the  well-known  ones  were  understood. 
So  with  some  of  the  derivatives  of  opium.  The  word 
itself,  and  its  dangers,  is  recognized  by  everyone,  but 
not  all  of  us  know  that  codein  is  its  derivative,  even 
if  we  understand  that  morphin  is  so.  Furthermore, 
the  law  does  not  require  the  statement  as  to  in- 
gredients to  be  made  in  print  of  any  special  size, 
and  it  is  easy  to  make  it  inconspicuous.  No 

doubt  the  law  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction,  and 
22 


318  GIRL  AND  WOMAN 

it  is  not  without  benefit,  but  the  protection  af- 
forded by  it  is  far  from  complete.  The  only  safety 
in  taking  a  patent  medicine  is  to  find  out  from  a 
physician  whether  it  is  safe  to  do  so,  and  in  this  case, 
he  may  as  well  be  asked  for  a  prescription. 

In  conclusion,  it  may  be  said  that  minor  ailments 
are  better  treated  by  prevention  than  cure.  The  girl 
who  lives  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  health,  will 
have  little  experience  of  minor  ailments,  and  if  the 
habit  of  attention  to  these  laws  is  formed  in  girl- 
hood her  mature  years  will  be  sane  and  healthy. 


INDEX 


Acetanilid,  315. 

Affection,  changes  of,  in  girl- 
hood, 33. 

Alcohol,  presence  of,  in  pat- 
ent medicines,  125,  169,  316. 

Altruistic  instinct,  association 
of,  with  egotism,  27 ;  devel- 
opment of,  27;  exaggerated 
manifestation  of,  56;  influ- 
ence of,  in  early  love  affairs, 
35;  presence  of,  in  all  forms 
of  youthful  affection,  33. 

Ameba,   reproduction   in,  79. 

Amenorrhea,  active  treatment 
objectionable  in,  130;  acute 
diseases  a  cause  of,  127; 
causes  of,  127;  change  of 
climate  a  cause  of,  129; 
chlorosis  a  cause  of,  127; 
chronic  disease  a  cause  of, 
127;  complete,  127;  conserv- 
ative nature  of,  127,  129; 
definition  of,  126;  exposure 
a  cause  of,  131 ;  medicine  ob- 
jectionable in,  129,  130;  ner- 
vous influences  a  cause  of, 
129;  partial,  127;  relief  of, 
130;  tuberculosis  a  cause  of, 
128. 

Amusements,  for  school-girl, 
251 ;  after  leaving  school, 
265 ;  for  self-supporting  girl, 
277. 

Anemia,  causes  of,  in  girlhood, 
8;  headache  from,  9,  291; 
hemorrhage  from,  133;  pres- 
ence of,  in  insanity,  52 ;  will- 
power impaired  by,  72. 

Antifibrin,  315. 


Appetite,  affected  by,  consti- 
pation, 299 ;  headache,  293 ; 
indigestion,  309;  menstrua- 
tion, 122. 

Appetite  in  girlhood,  peculiari- 
ties of,  ii ;  perversion  of,  12. 

Arteries,  changes  of,  in  girl- 
hood, 6. 

Astigmatism  in  school-girls, 
250. 

Athletics  for  girls,  avoidance 
of,  at  menstrual  period,  114; 
general  considerations  on, 
195;  objections  to,  182;  va- 
rieties of,  190. 

Atmospheric  dust,  dangers 
from,  172,  308;  disposition 
of,  174- 

Aurist,  reasons  for  consulting, 
231,  233. 

Austen,  Jane,  on  development 
of  interest  in  personal  ap- 
pearance, 30. 

Barometric  pressure,  influence 
of,  on  menstruation,  129. 

Basket-ball,  195. 

Bath,  cold,  benefit  of,  to  health, 
202 ;  correct  effects  of,  203 ; 
friction  after,  203 ;  menstru- 
ation no  obstacle  to,  116,205; 
method  of  taking,  203 ;  reac- 
tion after,  203;  temperature 
of,  204. 

Bath,  sponge,  method  of  tak- 
ing, in  bed-room,  207,  208. 

Bath-tubs,  varieties  of,  207. 

Bath,  warm,  essential  to  clean- 
liness, 205. 

319 


320 


INDEX 


Bathing  suit,  194. 

Bicycle-riding,  190. 

Biliousness.     (See    Liver.) 

Biology,  sex  instruction  in 
connection  with,  78,  149,  157. 

Bird,  reproduction  in,  88. 

Blood,  changes  in  composition 
of,  in  girlhood,  8;  condition 
of,  in  chlorosis,  127. 

Blood-vessels,  changes  in,  at 
girlhood,  6;  disturbance  of 
menstruation  due  to  change 
of  pressure  in,  129. 

Blushing,  causes  of,  7. 

Boldness,  causes  of,  in  girl- 
hood, 28. 

Bones,  changes  in,  at  girlhood, 
4;  effect  of  posture  upon,  5, 
248;  effect  of  pressure  upon, 
5,  10. 

Bowels,  attention  to,  in  dys- 
menorrhea,  123;  health  de- 
pendent upon,  300. 

Bowels,  means  of  regulating, 
enemata,  304;  exercise,  303; 
food,  302 ;  habit,  301 ;  sug- 
gestion, 304;  water,  302. 

Brain  capacity,  development 
of,  24;  effect  of  education 
upon,  25. 

Brain,  growth  of,  24;  devel- 
opment of  moral  sense  asso- 
ciated with,  56. 

Bromide  of  potash,  for  dys- 
menorrhea,  125 ;  for  head- 
ache, 292. 

Bronte,  Charlotte  and  Emily, 
typical  nostalgia  in,  49. 

Brushes,  hair,  choice  of,  212. 

Brushing  the  hair,  benefit  of, 
212,  214. 

Bunyan,  John,  religious  ex- 
periences of,  48. 

Caffein  in  patent  medicines, 
317. 

Carriage  of  body,  correct  man- 
ner of,  182;  faults  of,  in 
school-girls,  5,  248. 


"  Catching  cold,"  305. 

Cell  division,  first  step  in  all 
reproduction,  79. 

Cervix  of  uterus,  91. 

Childhood^  imitation  promi- 
nent in,  26;  life  during,  con- 
trolled by  others,  55,  158; 
period  of  religious  excite- 
ment at  close  of,  41 ;  read- 
ing in,  257,  260;  treatment 
of  sex  question  in,  146. 

China,   foot-binding  in,  5,  181. 

Chlorosis,  127. 

Cholera   morbus,  305. 

Chorea,  18. 

Cilia,  in  nostrils,  172;  in  ovi- 
duct, 92. 

Circulation  of  blood,  reasons 
for  feebleness  of,  in  girl- 
hood, 7. 

Cleanliness,  personal,  signifi- 
cance of,  203;  warm  bath 
essential  to,  205. 

Climate,  changes  of,  in  causa- 
tion of  amenorrhea,  129;  in 
relief  of  dysmenorrhea,  123. 

Cloaca,  88. 

Coal-tar  remedies,  uses  and 
dangers  of,  315,  317. 

Cocain  in  patent  medicines, 
125,  316,  317. 

Coffee,  habitual  use  of,  injuri- 
ous in  girlhood,  104,  169; 
medicinal  use  of,  124,  293, 
296. 

Cold-blooded  animals,  nature 
of,  89. 

Cold  in  chest,  306. 

Cold  in  head,  306. 

College,  entrance  conditions 
injurious  to  health  in,  269; 
girl  in  delicate  health  at, 
274;  necessity  for  care  at 
menstrual  periods  while  in, 
272 ;  outside  pressure  injuri- 
ous to  health  at,  271 ;  physi- 
cal conditions  of  life  at, 
267;  phyhical  differences  be- 
tween sexes  affecting  work 


INDEX 


321 


at,  273 ;  self-support  at,  270. 
Color,    perception    of,   in   girl- 
hood, 17. 

Competition,  strain  of,  in  col- 
lege education,  271 ;  in  school 
education,  243. 

Complexion,  constipation  in- 
jurious to,  299;  cosmetics  in- 
jurious to,  210;  daily  care 
of,  209;  excessive  exposure 
injurious  to,  211;  soap  bene- 
ficial to,  208. 

Conjugation,  process  of,  in  re- 
production, 81. 

Conscientiousness,    morbid,    in 

girlhood,    56;    more    marked 

in  girl  than  boy,  244;  work 

at  college  affected  by,  272. 

Consciousness    of     self.     (See 

Self -consciousness.) 
Constipation,  amenorrhea  as- 
sociated with,  131;  careless- 
ness in  regard  to,  123, 
300 ;  dysmenorrhea  associated 
with,  123  ;  frequency  of,  297 ; 
gastric  indigestion  a  cause 
of,  309;  liver  derangement  a 
cause  of,  309;  mental  effects 
of,  299;  physical  effects  of, 
297;  relief  of,  300;  skin  af- 
fected by,  299. 

Contempt,  as  cure  for  profan- 
ity, 70. 

Conversion,  religious,  45,  57. 
"  Conviction   of   sin,"  45. 
Cooking,    effect   of,    on   diges- 
tion,  166. 

Co-ordination,     muscular,     ac- 
quirment  of,  in  dancing,  186, 
257 ;  development  of,  in  girl- 
hood, 4;  lack  of,  a  cause  of 
stammering,  19. 
Corns,  hard,  223;   soft,   224. 
Corsets,     objections     to,     285; 

uses  of,  287. 
Cosmetics,  injurious  effects  of, 

210. 
Crandall,    Dr.    Floyd    M.,    on 


prevention    of    over-fatigue, 

313- 

Crayfish,  reproduction  in,  85. 
Curvature      of      spine,      from 

faulty    position    in    girlhood, 

5,  248. 

Dancing,  as  amusement,  256; 
as  remedy  for  ungainly  car- 
riage, 186. 

Debt,  as  form  of  dishonesty 
in  girlhood,  69. 

Defecation,  usual  posture  in, 
unsuitable,  301. 

Delivery,  process  of,  in  repro- 
duction, 94. 

Diarrhea,  304,  309. 

Digestion,  external  conditions 
affecting,  162. 

Digestive  organs,  changes  in, 
at  girlhood,  10;  disturbance 
of,  in  chlorosis,  128. 

Disc,  function  of,  in  egg  of 
bird,  88. 

Diseases,  acute,  amenorrhea 
in,  127,  135;  discharge  from 
ear  in,  233 ;  menorrhagia  in, 
135 ;  reproductive  organs  af- 
fected by,  135. 

Diseases,  chronic,  amenorrhea 
in,  127. 

Dishonesty  in  girlhood,  67. 

Dog,  reproduction  in,  91. 

Doubt,    religious,    in    girlhood, 

43- 
Dress,  changes  in,  at  girlhood, 

283 ;     corsets     in,    284 ;     for 

cross-country    walking,    188 ; 

garters  in,  190,  289;  shoes  in, 

189,   288;    stockings   in,   189; 

woolen  next  skin  in,  284. 
Driving,   190. 
Drowsiness,  in  migraine,  296; 

sign     of     over-fatigue,    310, 

3ii. 

Dust,  atmospheric,  correct 
method  of  removal  of,  174; 
dangers  from,  172,  308. 


322 


INDEX 


Dusters,  174. 

Dysmenorrhea,  change  of  cli- 
mate in,  123 ;  choice  of  spe- 
cialist in,  126;  definition  of, 
118;  depreciation  of  general 
health  in,  122;  disease  or 
displacement  rare  in,  119, 
291 ;  influence  of  nervous 
system  in,  119,  121,  123;  lo- 
cal treatment  rarely  needed 
in,  121 ;  opium  dangerous  in, 
124;  patent  remedies  dan- 
gerous in,  125 ;  permanent 
relief  of,  121 ;  regulation  of 
bowels  in,  123 ;  rest  in,  121 ; 
school-work  modified  in, 
122;  sleep  important  in,  122; 
temporary  relief  in,  123 ;  va- 
rieties of,  119. 

Ear,  arrangement  of,  230; 
daily  care  of,  229;  discharge 
from,  important,  233 ;  for- 
eign body  in,  232 ;  method  of 
syringing,  231 ;  secretion  of 
wax  by  glands  in,  231 ;  wa- 
ter in,  232. 

Earache,  importance  of,  233; 
relief  of,  232. 

Ear  scoops,  injury  caused  by, 
232. 

Education,  effect  of,  upon  de- 
veloping brain,  25 ;  nervous 
system  affected  by  strain  in, 
243,  272;  prominence  of,  in 
girlhood,  234. 

Egg-shell,   formation  of,  89. 

Egotism,  presence  of,  in  girl- 
hood, 27. 

Emotional  nature,  changes  in, 
at  puberty,  2;  early  develop- 
ment of,  25 ;  excess  of,  in 
girlhood,  26.  38,  74,  243,  272 ; 
gratification  of,  in  novel 
reading,  258;  influence  of, 
on  early  love  affairs,  33,  36; 
religious  feeling  affected  by, 
43 ;  strain  upon,  from  educa- 
tional pressure,  243,  272. 


Epidermis,  necessity  for  re- 
moving outer  layer  of,  202, 
203,  205,  209. 

Epilepsy  in  girlhood,  21. 

Eruptions  on  face,  13,  210. 

Evening  entertainments  for 
school-girl,  253. 

Exercise,  physical,  changes  in 
public  opinion  regarding, 
180;  moderation  of,  during 
menstruation,  114;  necessity 
of,  in  regulation  of  bowels, 
303 ;  necessity  of,  to  self- 
supporting  girl,  277;  objec- 
tions to,  in  chlorosis,  128. 

Exposure  to  cold  or  wet, 
amenorrhea  caused  by,  131 ; 
colds  caused  by,  306;  diar- 
rhea caused  by,  304. 

Extravagance   in   girlhood,   69. 

Eye,  foreign  body  in,  229. 

Eyes,  arrangement  of  light  for, 
227;  daily  care  of,  227. 

Eyesight,  menstruation  affect- 
ing, 121 ;  reading  through 
veil  injurious  to,  229;  school- 
work  injurious  to,  249. 

Eye-strain,  direct  effects  of, 
225 ;  headache  from,  226, 
291 ;  reflex  symptoms  of, 
226;  signs  of,  in  school-girls, 
250. 

Fear,  untruth  fulness  from,  63. 

Feet,  coldness  of,  7 ;  daily  care 
of,  222. 

Fencing,  257. 

Fertilization,  process  of,  in  re- 
production, 83. 

Finger-nails,  daily  care  of,  220. 

Fish,  reproduction  in,  86. 

Flagella,  function  of,  in  re- 
production, 83. 

Fletcher,  Mr.  Horace,  on  man- 
ner of  eating,  160. 

"  Fletcherism,"    160. 

Food,  action  of  saliva  upon, 
159,  162;  action  of  teeth 
upon,  159;  diarrhea  caused 


INDEX 


323 


by  improper,  305;  digestion 
of,  in  stomach,  161 ;  means 
of  keeping  bowels  open,  302 ; 
necessity  for  care  in,  with 
school-girl,  235 ;  necessity  for 
care  in,  with  working-girl, 
276 ;  relation  of,  to  digestion, 
165;  stimulus  of,  to  gastric 
glands,  161. 

Foot,  irritation  of,  224. 

Form,  growth  in  perception 
of,  17. 

Foster,  Mr.,  on  hatching  of 
chick,  90. 

Friendship  in  girlhood,  with 
girl  of  same  age,  33;  with 
older  woman,  38,  278. 

Fruit,  importance  of,  to  health, 
165 ;  in  regulation  of  bowels, 
302. 

Garters,  objections  to,  190,289. 

Gastric  indigestion,  309. 

Gastric  juice,  taste  of  food 
stimulus  to,  161. 

Girl,  school.  (See  School-girl.) 

Girl,  self-supporting,  amuse- 
ments of,  277;  at  college, 
270;  health  of,  276;  rela- 
tions of,  to  other  sex,  279; 
vacation  for,  281. 

Girlhood,  mental  disturbances 
in.  (See  Mental.) 

Girlhood,  moral  disturbances 
of.  (See  Moral.) 

Girlhood,  physical  disturb- 
ances of.  (See  Physical.) 

Golf,  as  amusement  for  self- 
supporting  girl,  279;  as 
means  of  physical  exercise, 
194. 

Gregarious  instinct,  influence 
of,  in  clubs  and  societies,  32; 
in  early  love  affairs,  35. 

Green  mixture.  (See  Helo- 
nin.) 

Green  sickness.  (See  Chloro- 
sis.) 

Gymnastic  exercises,  as  amuse- 


ment for  working  girl,  277; 
cure  of  spinal  curvature  by, 
248;  means  of  regulating 
bowels,  303;  prevention  of 
spinal  curvature  by,  6. 

Hair,  beauty  of,  211;  daily 
care  of,  212;  dry  shampoo 
of,  213;  effect  of  illness 
upon,  214;  washing  of,  213; 
treatment  of,  after  fever, 
215. 

Hands,  coldness  of,  7;  daily 
care  of,  220. 

Hangnails,  221. 

Harker,  Mrs.,  incident  from 
story  by,  61. 

Headache,  anemia  a  cause  of, 
9,  291;  constipation  a  cause 
of,  297 ;  diminished  circula- 
tion in  brain  during,  293; 
eye-strain  a  cause  of,  290; 
gout  a  cause  of,  19,  297;  in- 
creased circulation  in  brain 
during,  292;  indigestion  a 
cause  of,  291 ;  insufficient 
food  a  cause  of,  238;  men- 
strual, in,  120,  291;  relief 
of,  292. 

Headache  remedies,  contents 
of,  315;  dangers  of,  292,  315. 

Health,  general,  amenorrhea 
due  to  depreciation  of,  127; 
attention  to,  in  dysmenpr- 
rhea,  122;  care  of,  during 
menstruation,  245;  care  of, 
at  puberty,  10;  defective 
teeth  in  school  children  an 
injury  to,  216;  delay  in  first 
menstruation  due  to  depre- 
ciation of,  101 ;  deprecia- 
tion of,  in  chlorosis,  128; 
menorrhagia  an  injury  to, 
132. 

Health  of  college-girl,  care  at 
menstrual  periods  necessary 
to,  272;  injury  to,  from  ef- 
forts at  self-support,  270; 
injury  to,  from  entrance  con- 


324 


INDEX 


ditions,  268;  injury  to,  from 
outside  pressure,  271 ;  physi- 
cal conditions  favorable  to, 
267 ;  special  care  of  neces- 
sary for  delicate  girl,  274. 

Health  of  school-girl,  care  of, 
at  menstruation,  113;  care 
of,  at  puberty,  245 ;  injury  to, 
from  irregular  and  insuffi- 
cient meals,  236;  injury  to, 
from  over-fatigue,  241 ; 
nourishing  food  essential  to, 
235,  238 ;  responsibility  for, 
235;  treatment  of  failure  in, 
246. 

Health  of  self-supporting  girl, 
276. 

Hearing,  changes  in,  at  girl- 
hood, 16. 

Heart,  action  of,  disturbed,  in 
chlorosis,  128;  by  coal-tar 
remedies,  315;  in  girlhood,  8. 

Heart,  changes  in,  at  girlhood, 
6. 

Helonin,  compound  mixture  of, 
in  dysmenorrhea,  125. 

Hematococcus,  reproduction  in, 
80. 

Heredity,  influence  of,  on  hys- 
teria, 50;  on  insanity,  51; 
on  menstruation,  101,  107. 

Hero-worship,  40. 

Heteromita,  reproduction  in, 
if. 

Hockey,  195. 

Holmes,  O.  W.,  quotation 
from,  12. 

Home  life  in  girlhood,  264. 

Home-sickness.  (See  Nostal- 
gia.) 

Howells,  Mr.,  allusion  to  im- 
personal manner  of  eating, 
236. 

Human-being,  reproduction  in, 
96. 

Hyperqpia  in  school  girls,  250. 

Hysteria,  47. 

Ignorance,  a  factor  in  sexual 
temptation,  73,  77,  154,  156. 


Ill-temper,  59. 

Imagination,  influence  of,  in 
girlhood,  60. 

Imitation,  influence  of,  in 
early  love  affairs,  35 ;  promi- 
nence of,  in  childhood,  26. 

Indigestion,  definition  of,  309; 
due  to  bad  cooking,  166; 
due  to  eating  between  meals, 
164;  due  to  exercise  after 
meals,  163 ;  due  to  eye-strain, 
164;  due  to  irregular  meals, 
162;  forms  of,  309;  gastric, 
309;  headache  from,  291; 
intestinal,  309;  treatment  of, 
309. 

Individual  life  in  girlhood, 
development  of,  26;  growth 
of,  32,  38;  habits  of  lifetime 
formed  at  beginning  of, 
158;  influence  of  advance 
in,  on  moral  nature,  56;  in- 
fluence of  advance  in,  on 
religious  growth,  44. 

Infancy,  treatment  of  sex 
question  in,  145. 

Ingrowing  nail,  223. 

Innocence,  not  dependent  on 
ignorance,  139. 

Insanity,  51. 

Insomnia,  causes  of,  200;  im- 
portance of  attention  to,  in 
prevention  of  insanity,  54; 
sign  of  over-fatigue,  310. 

Intellectual  faculties,  dispro- 
portion between  develop- 
ment of,  and  emotional  fac- 
ulties, 25,  66. 

Irritability  of  temper,  sign  of 
fatigue,  59,  115,  312. 

Jaw,  changes  in  size  of,  12, 
218. 

Kleptomania,   68. 

Lacing,  tight,  evils  of,  10,  285. 
Let-alone  method  in  sexual  in- 
struction, 138. 


INDEX 


325 


Light,     arrangement     of,     in 

reading,  227,  228. 
Lindsay,   Judge,   on   ignorance 

a    cause    of    evil    in    sexual 

matters,  156. 

Liver,   derangement  of,  309. 
Locke,   on   correct   posture   in 

writing,  248. 
Long    Day,    the,    on    dangers 

surrounding     working     girl, 

155- 

Love  affairs,  early,  35,  254. 

Lungs,  changes  in,  at  girl- 
hood, 9. 

Lydia  Pinkham's  Vegetable 
Compound,  percentage  of 
alcohol  in,  316. 

Mammalia.     (See    Mammals.) 
Mammals,  nature  of,  90;  nour- 
ishment of  young,  94;  proc- 
ess of  reproduction  in,  91. 
Mammary  gland,   function  of, 

94- 

Mania,  52. 

Manner,  effect  of  self-con- 
sciousness upon,  28. 

Many-celled  organisms,  nature 
of,  84. 

Martineau,  Miss,  on  the  hair, 
214. 

Melancholia,  52. 

Menorrhagia,  anemia  a  cause 
of,  133;  causes  of,  131,  133; 
definition  of,  131 ;  deprecia- 
tion of  general  health  from, 
132;  erroneous  ideas  con- 
nected with,  132;  gradual  es- 
tablishment of,  in  some 
cases,  132;  importance  of, 
131,  132;  treatment  of,  134. 

Menstrual  period,  athletic 
sports  injurious  during,  114, 
273;  care  of  health  during, 
109,  272,  282;  cold  bath 
during,  116,  205;  college 
work  moderated  at,  273; 
duration  of,  •  108;  gen- 
eral disturbance  at,  no; 


habitual  invalidism  at,  an 
evil,  112;  headache  during, 
in,  120,  291,  294;  indigestion 
at,  117,  310;  interval  be- 
tween, 1 06;  mental  relaxa- 
tion at,  115;  protection  from 
weather  during,  116;  regu- 
larity of,  107;  regulation  of 
bowels  during,  117;  school- 
work  moderated  at,  113,  245; 
vaginal  douche  after,  objec- 
tionable, 117. 

Menstruation,  age  of  first, 
loo ;  amount  of,  108 ;  ces- 
sation of,  during  preg- 
nancy, 98,  108;  delay  in  es- 
tablishment of,  no  cause  for 
anxiety,  103 ;  disturbance  of, 
in  chlorosis,  128;  disturb- 
ance of,  in  insanity,  52,  53; 
general  symptoms  of,  no; 
hygiene  of,  109;  influence  of 
heredity  upon,  101 ;  influence 
of  nervous  system  upon,  101, 
in,  114,  119,  127,  129;  local 
symptoms  of,  no;  mechan- 
ism of,  98;  over-early,  an 
evil,  102;  ovulation  asso- 
ciated with,  98,  100,  no,  119, 
120. 

Menstruation,  excessive.  (See 
Menorrhagia.) 

Menstruation,  painful.  (See" 
Dysmenorrhea.) 

Menstruation,  suppression  of. 
(See  Amenorrhea.) 

Mental  depression,  constipa- 
tion a  cause  of,  299;  eye- 
strain  a  cause  of,  226 ;  re- 
ligious feeling  a  cause  of,  45, 

47- 

Mental  disturbances  in  girl- 
hood :  altruism,  27 ;  boldness, 
28;  early  love  affairs,  34; 
egotism,  27;  excess  of  emo- 
tion, 25,  27,  33,  43,  243,  258, 
272;  friendship,  33,  38;  hero- 
worship,  40;  hysteria,  50;  in- 
sanity, 51 ;  interest  in  person- 


326 


INDEX 


al  appearance,  29;  manage- 
ment of,  32,  46,  53;  nostal- 
gia, 48;  religious  depression, 
47 ;  religious  excitement,  41 ; 
shyness,  28;  social  sense,  31; 
suicide,  52. 

Migraine,  19,  293 ;  at  menstrual 
periods,  120,  294. 

Moral  disturbances  in  girlhood : 
absence  of  moral  sense,  58; 
dishonesty,  67;  exaggeration 
of  moral  sense,  56;  failure 
of  will-power,  71 ;  imagina- 
tion affecting,  60;  manage- 
ment of,  73 ;  personal  free- 
dom desired,  55 ;  physical 
causes  affecting,  58,  59;  pro- 
fanity, 70;  self-consciousness 
affecting,  55,  74;  sexual  ele- 
ment in,  73;  untruth  fulness, 
60. 

Moral  sense  in  girlhood,  devel- 
opment of,  55 ;  latency  of, 
66;  loss  of,  58,  59;  per- 
version of,  56. 

Mouth-breathing,  172. 

Muscles,  changes  In,  at  girl- 
hood, 4;  effect  upon,  of  pos- 
ture in  school-room,  248; 
means  of  strengthening  ab- 
dominal, 303. 

Myopia,  249. 

"  Naked  cell,"  83. 

Nearsightedness.  (See  Myo- 
pia.) 

Neatness,  personal,  develop- 
ment of,  in  girlhood,  29. 

Nerve  processes,  development 
of,  in  brain,  24, 

Nervous  prostration.  (See 
Neurasthenia.) 

Nervous  system,  amenorrhea 
due  to  disturbance  of,  129; 
diarrhea  due  to  disturbance 
of,  304 ;  digestion  influenced 
by,  164,  310;  disturbances  of, 
in  girlhood,  18;  dysmenor- 
rhea  due  to  disturbance  of, 


119;  exhaustion  of,  from 
strain  of  education,  243,  274; 
menstruation  influenced  by, 
101,  108,  in,  113,  119,  120, 
127,  129,  136,  241,  274,  291, 
294;  ovulation  causing  dis- 
turbance of,  no;  religious 
excitement  due  to  disturb- 
ance of,  147;  sexual  develop- 
ment causing  disturbance  of, 
105 ;  signs  of  exhaustion  in, 
242,  310;  sleep  affected  by 
disturbance  of,  200;  tem- 
per influenced  by  condition 
of,  55. 

Neurasthenia  in  girlhood,  20. 

Nightingale,  Florence,  on  tak- 
ing bath  under  difficulties, 
207. 

North  American  Indians,  dis- 
tortion of  skull  by,  5. 

Nose,  bleeding  from,  due  to 
anemia,  8,  9,  134;  in  connec- 
tion with  delayed  menstrua- 
tion, 103. 

Nose-breathing,  171. 

Nostalgia,  48. 

Noyel  reading,  effects  of,  in 
girlhood,  35,  257. 

Nuclei,  union  of  two,  essential 
to  fertilization,  83. 

Nucleus,  division  of,  the  first 
stage  in  all  reproduction,  79. 

Occupation,  choice  of,  for  girl 
on  leaving  school,  263; 
necessity  of,  in  prevention  of 
insanity,  53. 

Occupation  out  of  doors,  ad- 
vantages of,  178;  in  chloro- 
sis, 128. 

Oculist,  difference  between,  and 
optician,  227;  importance  of 
consulting,  227. 

One-celled  organisms,  nature 
of,  79. 

Opium,  dangers  of,  in  dys- 
menorrhea,  124;  dangers  of, 
in  migraine,  296;  presence 


327 


of,  in  patent  medicines,  125. 
169,  316. 

Optician,  difference  between, 
and  oculist,  227. 

Ovary,  first  appearance  of,  82; 
in  human  being,  96. 

Over- fatigue,  at  college,  268; 
at  school,  241 ;  neglect  of 
caution  at  menstrual  periods 
a  cause  of,  114,  273,  282; 
precaution  against,  313 ;  signs 
of,  242,  310;  standard  for, 
312. 

Oviduct,   function  of,  86. 

Ovulation,  disturbance  of  ner- 
vous system  accompanying, 
up;  menstruation  associated 
with,  98,  loo,  106 ;  process  of, 
92.  fc 

Ovum,  appearance  of,  in  bird, 
88;  attachment  of  mammal- 
ian, to  uterus,  93 ;  delivery 
of  mammalian,  94 ;  develop- 
ment of  mammalian,  95;  es- 
sential element  in  reproduc- 
tion, 83;  fertilization  of,  83; 
first  evidence  of,  in  scale  of 
life,  83 ;  nourishment  of 
mammalian,  93 ;  protection 
of,  in  warm-blooded  animals, 
89;  segmentation  of,  95. 


Paine's  Celery  Compound, 
percentage  of  alcohol  in,  317. 

Parents,  duty  of,  as  regards 
personal  liberty,  74;  duty  of, 
in  sexual  matters,  138,  152; 
duty  of,  to  daughter's  friend- 
ships, 34,  38;  influence  of, 
upon  college  life,  267;  re- 
sponsibility of,  for  health  at 
college,  271 ;  responsibility 
of,  for  health  at  school,  246. 

Patent  medicines,  alcohol  in, 
125,  169,  316;  opium  in,  125, 
169,  316. 

Pawlov,  on  digestion,  161,  162. 

Penis,  function  of,  92. 


Personal  appearance,  interest 
in,  awakened  in  girlhood, 
29;  injury  to,  by  mouth- 
breathing,  173. 

Personal  freedom,  desire  for, 
moral  characteristic  of  girl- 
hood, 55,  74,  75,  252,  264 

Personal  neatness,  development 
of,  in  girlhood,  29. 

Personation  of  character  in 
girlhood,  60. 

Peruna,  percentage  of  alcohol 
in,  317-. 

Phenacetin,  315,  316. 

Physical  disturbances  of  girl- 
hood :  anemia,  8 ;  appetite,  1 1 ; 
change  in  arteries,  6;  change 
in  bones  and  muscles,  3 ; 
change  in  circulation  of 
blood,  7 ;  change  in  composi- 
tion of  blood,  8;  change  in 
digestive  organs,  10;  change 
in  hearing,  16;  change  in 
heart, .  6 ;  change  in  height, 
3 ;  change  in  lungs,  9 ; 
change  in  nervous  system, 
18 ;  change  in  skin,  13 ; 
change  in  smell,  15;  change 
in  special  senses,  15;  change 
in  teeth,  12;  change  in  veins, 
8;  change  in  vision,  17; 
change  in  voice,  15,  17; 
change  in  weight,  3 ;  chloro- 
sis, 9,  127;  chorea,  18;  epi- 
lepsy, 2i ;  management  of, 
21 ;  migraine,  19;  neuras- 
thenia, 20;  spinal  curvature, 
5,  248;  stammering,  19. 

Physician,  advice  of,  in  girl- 
hood, 22. 

Placenta,  function  of,  93. 

Pleasure,  taste  for,  in  girlhood, 
67,  266. 

Polygordius,  reproduction  in, 
84. 

Potter,  Bishop,  on  our  grand- 
mothers' manner  of  walking, 
181. 

Profanity  in  girlhood,  701 


328 


INDEX 


Proteid  food,  importance  of, 
to  health,  165. 

Ptyalin,  159. 

Puberty,  care  of  health  at,  103, 
245 ;  establishment  •£,  a 
strain  on  whole  organism, 
2,  105;  influence  of  reading 
upon,  261 ;  school  work  at, 
245;  sex  instruction  at,  140; 
sleep  at,  104,  239;  social  re- 
lation of  sexes  changed  at, 

254- 
Pure  food  and  drug  law,  317. 


Reading,  as  an  amusement, 
257,  277 ;  choice  of,  257 ;  evil 
not  often  acquired  through, 
260;  excess  of  emotional  na- 
ture causing  craving  for  ro- 
mance in,  258;  formation  of 
good  taste  in,  2=0,  278;  in- 
jurious effect  of,  too  many 
childish  books,  258. 

Rectum,  298. 

Religious  phase  in  girlhood, 
awakening  of,  42;  depression 
due  to,  47 ;  excitement  due 
to,  41,  48;  forms  of,  43; 
pledges  of,  46;  treatment  of, 
48. 

Repression,  evils  of,  in  man- 
agement of  emotional  excess 
in  girlhood,  36. 

Reproduction,  advantage  of 
studying  laws  governing,  78; 
essential  elements  in,  83; 
evils  due  to  ignorance  con- 
cerning laws  of,  77;  first 
stage  of,  same  everywhere, 
96;  lessons  on  anatomy  and 
physiology  of,  in  public 
schools,  157;  presence  of, 
throughout  nature,  77,  78. 

Reproductive  organs,  imper- 
fect development  of,  chloro- 
sis associated  with,  127;  de- 
lay in  first  menstruation 
from,  1 02. 


Reproductive  process,  in  ameba, 
79;  in  bird,  88;  in  crayfish, 
85 ;  in  dog,  91 ;  in  fish,  86 ; 
in  frog,  87;  in  hematococ- 
cus,  80;  in  heteromita,  81 ;  in 
human  being,  77,  96 ;  in  poly- 
gordius,  84 ;  in  vaucheria,  81 ; 
in  vertebrates,  86. 

Respiration,  through  mouth, 
172;  through  nose,  171. 

Rest,  inability  to,  sign  of  over- 
fatigue,  312;  in  treatment  of 
dysmenorrhea,  121 ;  in  treat- 
ment of  menorrhagia,  134. 

Reticence  in  girlhood,  32. 

Ribot,  on  early  love  affairs,  35. 

Ribs,  constriction  of,  10,  285; 
hardening  of,  ip. 

Ridicule,  objections  to,  in 
management  of  girlhood,  63; 
untruthfulness  from  fear  of, 

.63- 

Riding  on  horse-back,  190. 
Rowing,  193. 

St.  Vitus'  Dance.  (See  Cho- 
rea.) 

Saliva,  action  of,  on  food,  159, 
162. 

Schenk's  Seaweed  Tonic,  per- 
centage of  alcohol  in,  317. 

School,  future  changes  in  cur- 
riculum of,  324;  injury  to 
health  from  excessive  prepa- 
ratory work  at,  244;  insom- 
nia from  over- work  at,  200; 
over-fatigue  at,  241 ;  respon- 
sibility of,  for  health  of 
scholars,  235. 

School-girl,  amusements  of, 
252;  astigmatism  in,  250; 
chorea  in,  from  over-stimula- 
tion, 18,  252;  curvature  of 
spine  in,  from  faulty  posture, 
5,  248;  defective  eyesight  in, 
249;  good  food  essential  to 
health  of,  235;  health  of,  at 
puberty,  245;  hyperopia  in, 
250;  insufficient  breakfast  an 


INDEX 


329 


injury  to  health  of,  237;  in- 
tercourse of,  with  other  sex, 
254;  menstruation  a  strain 
upon,  244 ;  midday  meal  im- 
portant to  health  of,  236; 
morbid  conscientiousness  in, 
244;  myopia  in,  249;  over-fa- 
tigue in,  242,  244;  responsi- 
bility for  health  of,  235; 
sleep  important  to,  239,  253; 
social  life  of,  251 ;  strain 
upon,  from  competition,  243; 
substantial  lunch  important 
to  health  of,  238;  symptoms 
of  eye-strain  in,  250;  symp- 
toms of  over- fatigue  in,  242; 
treatment  of  failure  of 
health  in,  246. 

School-work,  modification  of, 
necessary,  during  menstrual 
periods,  113;  at  puberty,  104, 
245 ;  during  treatment  of 
dysmenorrhea,  113. 

Secretiveness,  difference  be- 
tween, and  reticence,  31. 

Segmentation,  process  of,  95. 

Self-confidence  in  girlhood,  27. 

Self -consciousness  in  girlhood, 
blushing  associated  with,  7 ; 
chief  factor  in  development 
of  girlhood,  74;  expression 
of,  27;  manner  affected  by, 
28;  moral  changes  associated 
with,  55 ;  religious  growth  in- 
fluenced by,  44;  social  life 
affected  by,  252. 

Self -distrust  in  girlhood,  28.  _ 

Self-respect,  necessity  for,  in 
development  of  girlhood,  72. 

Seminal  vesicles,  nature  of,  92. 

Sex,  first  evidence  of,  in  proc- 
ess of  reproduction,  81 ;  in- 
fluence of,  in  early  love  af- 
fairs exaggerated,  35 ;  influ- 
ence of,  in  mental  awaken- 
ing, 27;  moral  disturbance 
associated  with,  73. 

Sexes,  change  in  social  rela- 
tions of,  at  puberty,  254;  dif- 


ference between,  in  physical 
necessities,  273 ;  relations  be- 
tween, for  girl  living  alone, 
279. 

Sexual  development,  influence 
of,  on  nervous  system,  105. 

Sexual  instruction,  difficulties 
suggested  in,  149;  duties  of 
parents  in  regard  to,  152; 
frankness  essential  in,  after 
early  childhood,  146;  in 
schools,  151,  157;  lower 
forms  of  life  useful  in,  149; 
mother's  influence  all-impor- 
tant in,  140,  153;  neglect  of, 
up  to  this  time,  138;  pro- 
tection of  working  girl  in, 

153,  157- 

Sexual  knowledge,  books  as  a 
source  of,  260;  evils  of  ig- 
norance in  regard  to,  139; 
evils  of  mystery  in  regard 
to,  78,  141 ;  growing  dissatis- 
faction with  present  treat- 
ment of,  138 ;  mistaken  atti- 
tude of  mothers  in  regard  to. 
139 ;  misunderstanding  01 
subject  of,  142. 

Shampoo,  method  of,  213. 

Shell-gland,  87. 

Shoes,  changes  of  fashion  in, 
223,  288;  for  cross-country 
walking,  189;  irritation  of 
foot  by,  224. 

Shyness,  28. 

Sick  headache.  (See  Mi- 
graine.) 

Sitting,  correct  posture  in,  183. 

Skates,  essentials  in,  192. 

Skating,  191. 

Skin,  changes  in,  at  girlhood, 
13 ;  eruptions  on,  13,  121, 
210,  299 ;  means  of  keeping, 
in  healthy  condition,  202 ;  re- 
lation between,  and  kidney, 
202,  298. 

Sleep,  amount  necessary  to 
health,  196;  disturbance  of, 
from  over-fatigue,  310;  irn- 


33« 


INDEX 


portance  of,  to  health  of 
school-girl,  239,  253;  in  dys- 
menorrhea,  122 ;  in  nervous 
disorders,  20;  position  in, 
199;  at  puberty,  104. 

Sleeping-room,  197. 

Sleeplessness.  (See  Insom- 
nia.) 

Sleep-walking,  200. 

Smell,  changes  in  sense  of,  at 
girlhood,  15. 

Soap,  quality  of,  206;  use  of, 
on  face,  15,  208. 

Social  life  in  girlhood,  31,  251. 

Social  sense,  development  of, 
in  girlhood,  31. 

Solitude,  taste  for,  in  girlhood, 

Special  sense  organs,  changes 
in,  at  girlhood,  15. 

Specialist,  advisability  of  con- 
sulting, in  menstrual  difficul- 
ties, 125,  130;  choice  of,  126. 

Sperm  cells,  83. 

Spermary,  first  evidence  of,  82. 

Spermiduct,  function  of,  86. 

Stammering,  19. 

Standing,  correct  posture  in, 
183. 

Stimulants,  alcoholic,  evils  of, 
104,  124,  169. 

Stockings,  choice  of,  in  walk- 
ing, 189. 

Stomach,  digestion  of  food  in, 
161. 

Student  lamp,  228. 

Suggestion,  influence  of,  in 
constipation,  304 ;  influence 
of,  in  early  love  affairs,  35, 

3-7'  , 
Suicide,  52. 

Sweat    glands,    abundance    of, 

on  face,  209;  action  of,  201; 

stimulation  of,  by  bath,  202. 
Sweeping,   correct   method   of, 

175 ;     evils    due    to     wrong 

method  of,   175. 
Sweets,    injurious    effects    of, 

166. 


Swimming,  194. 

Tactile  perception,  develop- 
ment of,  in  girlhood,  13,  17. 

Tea,  habitual  use  of,  injurious 
in  girlhood,  104,  169;  medic- 
inal use  of,  124,  293. 

Teeth,  action  of,  on  food,  159; 
causes  of  decay  in,  216 ;  daily 
care  of,  216;  difficulty  of  ac- 
commodating wisdom,  12,  218; 
importance  of,  to  health,  216; 
injury  to  health  of  school- 
children from  defective,  216 ; 
inspection  of,  by  dentist,  217  ; 
mechanical  treatment  of, 
crooked,  218;  relation  of,  to 
size  of  jaw,  12,  218;  wisdom, 
12,  218. 

Temperament,  factor  in  dis- 
turbances of  girlhood,  73 ;  re- 
lation of,  to  fastidiousness, 
29;  relation  of,  to  self-con- 
sciousness, 28. 

Tennis,  as  amusement  for  self- 
supporting  girl,  279;  as 
physical  exercise,  195. 

Testis,  function  of,  85;  posi- 
tion of,  in  dog,  92. 

Theater,  benefits  of,  to  school- 
girl, 253;  to  self-supporting 
girl,  279. 

Tilt,  Dr.,  on  amenorrhea  due 
to  change  of  scene  or  cli- 
mate, 130. 

Tobler,  Miss,  on  menstrual  dis- 
comfort, 110. 

Toe-nails,  daily  care  of,  222. 

Treves,  Sir  Frederick,  on  cor- 
sets, 287. 

Tuberculosis  of  lungs,  a  cause 
of  amenorrhea,  128. 

Untruth  fulness  in  girlhood,  de- 
liberate, 65;  from  fear,  63; 
from  imagination,  60;  from 
vanity,  64. 

Uterus,  function  of,  91 ;  imper- 
fect development  of  blood- 


INDEX 


vessels  in,  a  cause  of  menor- 
rhagia,  134;  roughening  of 
mucous  membrane  of,  a 
cause  of  menorrhagia,  134. 

Vacation,  necessity  of,  to  self- 
supporting  girl,  271,  281. 

Vagina,  function  of,  92. 

Vaginal  discharge,  significance 
of,  in  dysmenorrhea,  125. 

Vaginal  douche,  objections  to 
use  of,  in  young  girls,  117. 

Vaucheria,  reproduction  in,  81. 

Veils,  reading  through,  injuri- 
ous to  eyesight,  229. 

Veins,  changes  in,  at  girl- 
hood, 8. 

Ventilation,  importance  of, 
176;  methods  of,  177. 

Vertebrates,  peculiarity  of  re- 
production in,  86. 

Vibrissae,  172. 

Vision,  changes  in,  at  girlhood, 
17. 

Voice,  change  of,  in  girlhood, 


Walking,  correct  manner  of, 
184 ;  cross-country,  187 ;  dress 
for,  188;  essentials  to  enjoy- 
ment of,  186;  fatigue  in,  188; 
ungainly,  184. 

Warm-blooded  animals,  nature 
of,  89. 

Water,  importance  of,  as  arti- 
cle of  diet,  167;  method  of 
removing  from  ear,  232. 

Will-power,  failure  of,  in  girl- 
hood, 71. 

Wisdom-teeth,    12,   218. 

Woolen,  next  skin,  283,  307. 

Woolson,  Miss,  incident  from 
story  by,  58. 

Working  girl,  changed  condi- 
tions for,  155 ;  dangers  sur- 
rounding, 155 ;  ignorance  of 
laws  of  reproduction  an  in- 
jury to,  154;  necessity  for 
caution  at  menstrual  periods 
by,  282 ;  reading  for,  277 ;  re- 
lations of,  to  other  sex,  279; 
sex  instruction,  protection  to, 
157;  vacation  for,  281. 


(7) 


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